


Give me a landscape made of obstacles

by Melise



Category: Naruto, Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Crossover, Gen, Hatake Kakashi is a Troll, Madara is Kakashi, The Naruto series if Kakashi was also a wolf youkai with the ability to fly and shapeshift, Youkai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-10 09:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 83,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20133031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melise/pseuds/Melise
Summary: Kakashi Hatake isn’t who he says he is.Because the truth is that he’s actually a youkai in disguise, a wolf spirit named Madara who stumbled across the Hatake clan during the Warring States Period. Intrigued by the shinobi he saw, he’d proposed a temporary alliance in which he would offer the clan protection in exchange for their teachings.Decades later, Madara is surprised to find himself inadvertently summoned to Konoha by the last living member of the Hatake clan. Sakumo Hatake, who is mourning the recent deaths of his wife and stillborn child, doesn’t want to be alone anymore. So with his permission, Madara takes the place of Sakumo’s deceased son in order to watch over the last Hatake.(Fusion in which the youkai of Natsume’s Book of Friends all exist in the Naruto world. No knowledge of Natsume’s Book of Friends required).





	1. Of steep hills and jutting glacial rock

**Author's Note:**

> So the idea for this story developed after I found out that Kakashi and Madara/Nyanko-sensei share a voice actor. Once I got over how hilarious that was, I realized that the two characters do have some similarities. Among other things, they’re both extremely powerful though it may not seem like it at first glance, they both have very apparent vices (porn for one, drinking and food for the other), both are a bit ineffectual as teachers, and they both end up looking after misunderstood blond boys. 
> 
> Story/chapter titles based on lines from the poem “Rough Country” by Dana Gioia.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How it all begins, or how Madara stumbles across the Hatake Clan.

Almost everyone in the shinobi world knows of Kakashi Hatake.

And those who do can typically rattle off a few key facts about the silver-haired man.

He’s a jōnin of Konoha, a prodigy, the Hatake clan heir, the son of Konoha’s White Fang, and an exceptionally skilled shinobi to boot.

But what if none of that were actually true? What if the one who calls himself Kakashi Hatake is only pretending to be?

And that happens to be the case at hand here. Because Kakashi Hatake’s true name is Madara, and it’s a name he’s carried eons before the village of Konoha was even thought of. So it’s quite inaccurate to refer to him as a prodigy despite how talented and powerful he may be. It just doesn’t seem quite fair to call him that when he’s older than everyone else in the village combined.

As for his supposed status as a shinobi, he’s just playing a role for his own amusement. He’s a colossal wolf youkai of incredible power, there’s no being in the world that Madara truly answers to. And in regard to being considered a Hatake, it’s only an allowance to fulfill his end of the deal.

At least Madara tells himself that he doesn’t care about any of those things, and that’s what he’d say if anybody asked. Although if anyone knew the full story of how he came to be in this situation, they would certainly beg to differ.

Point aside, it all began decades and decades ago during the Warring States Period…

________________________

Madara generally steers clear of the shinobi as most of the other youkai do the same. Not that a youkai has anything to fear from the belligerent little creatures, especially not an entity as powerful as he is. In fact, the overwhelming majority of shinobi are helpless against youkai.

As beings of spiritual energy, youkai are generally invisible to the human eye. Every now and then, one will come along with enough spiritual power to see, hear, or even seal away youkai. Such individuals are highly rare among the general population and are fundamentally unheard of in shinobi. Their heavy use of chakra tends to leave their reserves of spiritual energy grossly underdeveloped in comparison.

And even if shinobi could see youkai, their weapons and jutsus would be essentially ineffective. Without a significant base of spiritual power, physical attacks carry no force and are useless against youkai. Chakra-based techniques would dissipate upon contact as well. A youkai’s spiritual energy and a shinobi’s chakra are incompatible in the same way that a flame wouldn't burn water.

All in all, the unofficial consensus was that shinobi were hardly worth bothering about. They had a reputation for being an irksome bunch and weren’t particularly tasty to eat anyway.

Because of those aforementioned reasons, Madara had hardly intended to veer so close to the shinobi’s encampment. Still, the noises he did hear drew him in. A youkai’s existence could be quite dull indeed. Because of that, it was often preferable to pursue any form of entertainment you could find.

So against his better judgment, the massive wolf spirit slinks ever closer to their settlement.

Madara discovers that many of these shinobi are silver-haired and dark-eyed, with lean and agile builds. They appear to be sparring, fighting amongst each other without the intention to injure or kill. Some swing swords and others flow through various motions, electricity crackling and arcing across their bodies.

This piques his interest given that Madara has a similar ability as well. He’s adept at summoning lightning strikes from the sky, though he usually prefers to direct them at those who have displeased him. Still, there’s a finesse to the shinobi’s movements, an element of grace and precision that is backed by undeniable power. If only he could perform such feats as well. Imagine how much more powerful he could be then...

_Maybe he should take a closer look._

Although no one would even know he was there, Madara still prefers to watch from a less occupied area. He sees a girl, silver hair curling just past her shoulders, take a practiced stance in the center of a fairly secluded clearing. Madara settles in comfortably across from her, only to see her suddenly startle back in surprise as she lays eyes on him.

_She could see him._

The girl immediately lets out a cry, but it wasn’t one of fear. She had already shifted into a defensive position, her eyes hardening in determination. The high, piercing noise she made was evidently a signal for reinforcements as her clansmen suddenly flood the area with their weapons at the ready.

“Kanako!” several of them call out in alarm as they rush forward. But upon surrounding the clearing, they ultimately found her paying them no heed. Instead, Kanako had chosen to study Madara intently. Now that the shock had worn off, she must’ve realized that he’d made no move to harm her.

Her voice cuts through the confused queries and the cries of concern from her kinsman.

“What are you?”

The rest of the clan whispers uneasily at that, but not in the way Madara had expected. Because from their perspective, the situation should’ve appeared very odd indeed. Not only was there no discernable threat to be found, but the girl who raised the alarm had then addressed a question to the empty air. Yet, the clan’s hushed murmurs were not the sounds of a group who feared that one of its own was hallucinating. No, their mannerisms seem far too wary for that. Maybe…

The girl obviously possesses an uncommon amount of spiritual power for a shinobi. Perhaps her kinsmen may have a little of their own given that it does tend to run through families. To test his theory, Madara slowly stands up from where he had initially settled down on the ground. He takes care to make as much noise as possible as he stretches to his full height, his paws hitting the ground with deliberate thuds.

At once, a significant proportion of the assembled shinobi react. A few whip their heads in Madara’s direction, some shift around nervously, and others tilt their heads toward him with a hand cupped around their ear.

_How unexpected._

While Kanako appears to be the only one capable of seeing him outright, it seems as though many of these shinobi are able to sense his presence in some shape or form. They can tell that _something_ is there.

_This could be very interesting indeed._

So Madara finally answers in a deep, rumbling voice. “A youkai, simply passing through.”

Kanako relays his answer back to the rest of the shinobi, and Madara sees alarm, disbelief, and confusion spread over their faces. They begin muttering, hissing, and arguing at once, the volume of their voices already beginning to grow.

A brief look of annoyance flits over Kanako’s face at this. Looking back over her shoulder at her clansmen, she gathers chakra to cast what Madara would later learn was called a genjutsu, a technique for creating illusions. Kanako had used it then to show her fellow clan members the image she sees. That is, a white wolf at least fifteen feet in height towering over them all. A beast with golden eyes and scarlet markings on its face, a creature with jaws large enough to snap closed around a grown man.

There were more than a few audible gasps and startled cries in response. A tall, stern-faced man who also sports the silver hair that many of these shinobi seem to share is the first to recover.

“Okami, why have you come here?”

The man speaks with an air of inherent authority, and the hum of voices dies down immediately at his words. It seems as though this man is one of their leaders. And with this thought, Madara is hit with an absurd yet intriguing idea. The more rational part of his mind immediately tries to shoot the urge down.

_Why even bother?_

It’s foolish, pointless really. But the impulse has already taken hold.

_But why not?_

It’s not like Madara has anything to lose from trying.

“My apologies, I did not intend to intrude upon your clan. However, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by your abilities.”

Hopefully, he’s not laying the flattery on too thick because he’s really pushing it here. But Madara’s counting on the shinobi being far too thrown off by the presence of a youkai to even realize.

He continues.

“I would be interested in learning your skills should you be willing to teach. But, I would hardly expect you to do this and gain nothing in return. You live in dangerous times after all, I could compensate your clan by providing you all with my protection. You would have a powerful spirit on your side.”

Kanako barely lets her surprise show as she once again passes his words along to the others. To their credit, the other shinobi refrain from whispering and muttering amongst themselves as well. The tall man, who is most definitely their leader, fixes his eyes in Madara’s direction while his face creases in thought.

Even if these shinobi are willing to teach him, Madara doesn’t know if he’ll be able to use any of it. But, this is without a doubt the most intriguing prospect he’s come across in the past twenty years. He’ll be damned if he lets an opportunity like this slip by.

The tall man is still pondering his proposal. Meanwhile, a range of expressions manifests across the others’ faces including worry, shock, doubt, and curiosity. But they nor Madara has to wait long for an answer.

“Very well, Okami," the man responds. “We have an agreement.”

At this, the clearing erupts into a din of voices. But Madara simply bares his teeth in a grin.

Yes, this was going to be very interesting indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next, Madara’s time spent amongst the shinobi.


	2. Where the low-running streams are quick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara stays, departs, and returns to the Hatake

The shinobi of the Hatake clan make for very accommodating if somewhat perplexed hosts. For humans who weren’t even aware of the existence of youkai beforehand, Madara feels that they’ve taken the new developments in stride. Although he does find it amusing how the shinobi were fully prepared to lodge a house-sized youkai in their compound.

Then again, the Hatake would’ve had no way of knowing that Madara possesses the ability to change his form at will. Though that didn’t stop them from feeling relieved upon finding out.

And shapeshifting is an awfully convenient ability for Madara to have in this particular situation. Otherwise, Kanako would’ve been the only human in the clan that he could have interacted with. While the wolf form may be his true appearance, it is also the form that is most difficult for humans to perceive.

An exceptional amount of spiritual power is required for that, which makes it all the more shocking that Kanako was even able to see him. But this is where his various disguises and forms become highly practical. Those can be seen and heard by any human, even one with no spiritual power whatsoever.

So to start off, he takes the form of a gray Hokkaido dog. It seemed to be an appropriate option at the time. Such dogs are medium in size, highly intelligent, loyal, strong, and have an excellent sense of smell.

And these characteristics are much more important than they might seem because the different forms that Madara can take are not merely cosmetic. His demeanor in his true form is markedly different from how he would act when adopting a disguise. And his behavior would vary according to the specific form. For example, he might find himself expressing more cat-like tendencies if he were to take the form of a feline.

Because of these factors, a human form would’ve been preferable. However, Madara hasn’t spent enough time around these humans for him to be able to craft an adequate disguise just yet. It’ll require much more observation and study before he’s ready.

But in the meantime, there’s plenty to learn from the shinobi themselves. With Kanako acting as an interpreter, Madara and the tall man have a discussion shortly after that initial meeting in order to hammer out more concrete terms of their arrangement.

The man, whose name is Takahito, is indeed the clan head as Madara had guessed. He’s also Kanako’s father which explains why Madara’s proposal was so readily accepted. Although the rest of the shinobi were shocked, they were prepared to follow their clan head’s and their clan heir’s direction.

Either way, it doesn’t take them long to decide on terms. Madara is to keep guard over the Hatake grounds and dispatch any intruders or enemies that intend to do them harm. Such a task is child’s play for him as Madara can easily sense any human approaching from miles around. And once he’s found them, they’re stuck in the unenviable position of facing an opponent that they can neither see, hear, or do harm to.

Madara even takes the liberty of consuming a few of the interlopers as a convenient snack. However, this habit does lead to a few persistent rumors alleging that the Hatake clan engages in cannibalism. Although none of the clan members seem to be terribly bothered by this so Madara isn’t too concerned himself.

He’s far too occupied to care about that anyway because Madara quickly discovers that learning the shinobi arts entails no shortage of lessons on chakra theory.

Chakra, specifically, is a form of life energy that circulates through the body, originating from one’s chakra coils. Two separate forms of energy combine to create chakra, physical energy from the body and mental energy from the mind’s consciousness. Shinobi build up their reserves and mold chakra to their will, releasing it through tenketsu points in order to perform their jutsus and various other feats.

While these mechanisms are quite fascinating, it does lead Madara to realize that wielding the power of a shinobi might be more difficult than he initially thought. Who knows if it’s actually possible for a youkai to use chakra anyway? Because while Madara does have a physical body, he doesn’t have one in the same way the humans do. He’s an entity composed of spiritual energy, he simply doesn’t have the necessary chakra coils or its pathway system. But he doesn’t lose hope just yet.

A few months later, Madara does find success in developing a believable human guise. He can now transform into a young man with unruly silver hair, one that can easily blend in and interact with all the clan members. Still, he does incorporate an element into this form that acts as a very subtle nod to his true nature.

Youkai, especially the ones that look more human, have a tendency to cover at least a portion of their faces. Some might conceal their entire face with a Noh mask, several will hide an eye with their hair, and others use veils to obscure their appearance. Most commonly, youkai will wear a paper mask covering the eyes and upper half of the face, often with corresponding symbols or illustrations inked upon them.

Had Madara wished to pass himself off as a run-of-the-mill youkai, he might have chosen to appear as a kimono-clad youth wearing a paper mask with wolf eyes drawn on it. But he’s trying to fit in amongst the Hatake, so he adjusts his disguise accordingly. Instead, his own personal touch is a dark shinobi mask covering the lower half of his face.

By this point, the Hatake have grown all too used to Madara’s ever-changing appearances. They barely bat an eye at seeing their resident youkai shift from human to dog and back again.

And for Madara, it turns out this human form is the key that allows him to use chakra. The trick lies in the natural energy of the world. There are rare shinobi called sages who can collect natural energy and balance it with their own chakra, greatly increasing their power.

But a youkai like Madara can utilize a simpler process to achieve his objective. All he has to do is draw in the natural energy and circulate it through his human form, mimicking the manner in which chakra would flow through the pathway system of an actual human. With this method, he can use the natural energy as if it were his own chakra.

This approach is however accompanied by a few minor shortcomings. Chiefly, the process of absorbing and circulating the natural energy does put a built-in cap on the amount of “chakra” he can use at a time. In comparison to actual shinobi, his “reserves” are around average. But what he has is more than enough.

The Hatake teach him how to walk up tree trunks, sprint across the surface of rivers, and manipulate lightning with the precision of a blade. He learns to produce walls of earth, project jets of water, and create impossible illusions with genjutsu. The shinobi even instruct him in hand-to-hand combat, or what they call taijutsu. It’s a little pointless for Madara to learn how to fight physically, but it’s engaging all the same.

Madara finds the transformation technique to be especially useful given how similar they are to his own disguises. A henge is comparatively easier to produce but requires continuous concentration and use of chakra to maintain. On the other hand, Madara’s disguises require time to craft but can be held as long as he wishes with no additional effort. He ends up devising a way to layer a henge over his true appearance, allowing all the other shinobi to see him in his wolf form.

While Madara does spend the majority of the time in his human guise, it isn’t long before the Hatake are well accustomed to seeing a massive wolf slinking around their compound. All the while, Madara eagerly learns any new skill or technique he can find.

Meanwhile, time continues to pass.

At least a decade has to have gone by. Because Kanako is now grown with children of her own, preparing to take over the clan leadership from her father. And it seems as though shinobi in general are weary of fighting among themselves. Clans have started to band together, creating settlements that they call hidden villages.

The closest one to them is Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village. The Hatake spend many months in discussion over the merits and drawbacks of such an establishment before finally deciding to take part themselves.

Now that the Hatake clan has decided to join the newly founded Konoha, they have no need for Madara’s protection anymore. Likewise, he feels that their partnership is coming to its natural end anyway. He’s learned more than he could have ever imagined from these shinobi and has grown oddly fond of them in the process.

And he bids them well, but not before leaving behind a scroll with a seal inked on the inside. When a small amount of chakra is applied, the seal would activate and notify Madara no matter where he is in the world. If there was any time that the Hatake clan found itself in need of aid, they could signal Madara and he would come.

So Madara leaves and spends an indeterminate amount of time wandering the forests and catching up with fellow youkai. He passes many of his days drinking, feasting, and toying good-naturedly with the lower-ranked youkai. And one day in the midst of all this, Madara senses the seal activate.

_The Hatake._

Madara races to Konoha, fully prepared to stand with his old allies. He’s never been to the village before, but the seal guides him to what must be the Hatake clan grounds. He bursts through the doors of the house from where the signal has originated. And then he pauses. Something seems… off.

The first thing that strikes him is how dark and empty the rooms are and how quiet the whole compound feels.

And then his golden eyes meet startled dark ones in an otherwise devastated looking face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is what happens when you try and squash the mechanics of two different works of fiction together. And there’s a good chance that it won’t make sense to anybody but me. 
> 
> On another note, Sakumo has entered the picture.


	3. To flood the grassy fields and bottomlands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara strikes another deal.

Having fought in the Second Shinobi War, Sakumo Hatake thought he knew pain and suffering.

But that was before he had to bury his wife and stillborn child in the fresh plots of earth near the back of the clan grounds. He and Akiko had envisioned planting a small garden there after the baby was born. There had been so many things they wanted to do. But you can never truly comprehend how quickly things can change until you’re already left reeling.

And now he’s alone and clearing out a house that’s far too big for one person to live in. Akiko worried that the Hatake clan grounds wouldn’t be suitable for a single family to live in, but Sakumo had reassured her that they would make it work.

However at this point, Sakumo has half a mind to set the entire compound on fire with him still inside it. It would be a respite against the emptiness that’s choking him, a reprieve from the silence that’s suffocating him.

Nevertheless, he continues to sort through the clutter of the main house. He and Akiko had only gone through a small portion of it in preparation for the baby. They’d set aside the rest for later, reasoning that they could gradually fix it up with time. Now, cleaning up the remaining rooms is the only thing that’s keeping him somewhat sane. It gives his mind something else to focus on for the time being so that he doesn’t have to think about how alone he is.

Because what a pitiful thing that is, to be a clan of one.

Several of the items Sakumo finds are old clan heirlooms. He keeps those that might have use but discards the ones that are broken or serve no discernible purpose. A good bit of furniture has to be removed as well. Many pieces are old and deteriorating, but there are also the newer ones that are unnecessary now that there’s no family to use them.

Finished with the room, Sakumo turns to leave but notices a single scroll lying in the corner of the room. A bookshelf had originally sat there, maybe it had fallen off when he was moving it. But the layer of dust on the scroll is undisturbed, leading him to believe that it must’ve been there for some time. Sakumo turns the scroll over in his hands. There’s no label or indication as to what it might hold, but someone had evidently thought it was important enough to keep.

Although Sakumo doesn’t particularly care, he still breaks the scroll open. He supposes it would be practical to check whether it’s useful or not. Unfurling the scroll, he finds that it’s almost completely blank except for a symbol in the center that’s been drawn on with red ink.

It’s nothing that he’s ever seen before, but it looks to be a seal of some sort. The symbol is shaped a bit like a shepherd’s crook. There’s a dot in the center of the hook and three vertical dashes along the top of the curve.

Sakumo gently brushes his hand along the symbol, tracing the outline. Nothing happens.

He pushes a tiny bit of chakra into the paper. _That_ gets a reaction. The lines suddenly glow, scattering shadows throughout the darkened room, but it fades just as quickly. Perplexed, Sakumo frowns and rolls the scroll back up. He pockets it, intending to throw it out with everything else later.

As Sakumo steps back out into the hallway, he hears footsteps from outside of the house. _Who could be out there?_ He freezes in place, listening intently as the door bursts open with a bang.

Normally, Sakumo would be much more aggressive in the face of an intruder, but he can hardly bring himself to care. If the trespasser is an enemy, maybe they’ll do him the favor of finishing him off.

So he patiently waits for whoever it is to round the corner.

There’s a blur of snow-white fur, and Sakumo suddenly finds himself face to face with the largest wolf he’s ever seen. The beast is unlike anything he’s ever laid eyes on. It has scarlet markings lining its eyes and two crooked dashes under each eye in the same color.

And on its forehead is the same exact symbol that was painted onto the scroll he opened. Staring into its huge golden eyes, Sakumo can feel the astonishment breaking through the grief that’s clouding his mind.

Meanwhile, Madara is just as surprised. He was expecting to find the entire Hatake clan up in arms, not this one human who reeks of despair and shows no recognition of who Madara is.

“Where are the others?” Madara asks, although a part of him feels that he already knows the answer.

The now dazed-looking man shakes his head slightly as if he’s trying to clear his mind.

“Of course you speak,” he mutters, seemingly to himself. “There... there are no others. Just me. I’m Sakumo Hatake.”

Still, it’s not pleasant having his conjectures confirmed. Madara needs to find out more. Hopefully, this lone Hatake will be receptive to more questions. The man appears somewhat disoriented as if the shock of the situation hasn’t fully set in. Something has been troubling this human, and Madara thinks he can hazard a guess. After all, he can smell faint traces of blood and the stale stench of recent death permeating through the house.

But he presses on. “What happened to everyone else?”

It’s been days since Sakumo had last spoken to someone. He responds automatically, barely processing the circumstances before him.

“Nothing really happened.” And that, sadly, is the truth. Their numbers had been steadily dwindling for a while now. Combine that with the usual losses sustained during a war, and Sakumo was suddenly the only one left. “Clan members started having fewer children over time and between that and the Second Shinobi War...”

This is news to Madara. _Just how long had he been gone?_ “The Second Shinobi War? I wasn’t aware that there was even a first.”

“Yes, well...” Sakumo begins. But that’s when the absolute absurdity of the scenario hits him. “Wait, what’s going on? Who are you and what are you? I realize that the scroll probably summoned you, but I still don’t know why any of this is happening! I... I don’t think I’m hallucinating either...”

And there it is. Looking at the man’s wild eyes, Madara assumes that it would be beneficial to clear the air first.

“I’m a youkai. Back before the Hatake clan joined this village, I made an alliance with them. Their knowledge in exchange for my protection.”

Madara looks around the barren house, feeling a sense of remorse washing over him.

“The scroll was supposed to be used during a time in which they required my help. But it appears that I am a little too late for such things.”

Sakumo lets out a choked sob. “Well, you found me instead. A few days ago I wasn’t the only one. But my wife died in childbirth and my son-“

His voice cuts off abruptly. “He was stillborn,” Sakumo finishes with difficulty.

Sakumo looks up and sees the youkai regarding him carefully, its golden eyes looking rather pensive. Then it finally responds.

“It troubles me greatly to hear that. I am sorry to hear of the hardships that have befallen your clan.”

“Why would you even care?” Sakumo asks, not with hostility but out of genuine curiosity.

The wolf tilts its massive head in contemplation. “I did spend quite a few years living and learning amongst your kinsmen. When we parted, it was my hope that the clan would prosper.”

Sakumo frowns in confusion. “You lived with them?” He tries to picture how that arrangement would’ve worked and fails.

In response, the youkai merely looks at him with what seems to be an expression of mild amusement. And then the wolf vanishes into a puff of smoke. When the vapor clears, Sakumo sees that a young man has taken its place. The youth looks very much like a Hatake with his silver hair and dark eyes. He’s dressed in the traditional shinobi garb and even wears a mask covering the lower half of his face.

“As I mentioned,” the youkai continues, “I came to know your clan very well.” He leans against the side of the door frame, resting his chin on top of his palm. “While our arrangement has long since come to an end, I still felt that I owed them a favor.”

Sakumo pushes back his surprise at the youkai’s transformation in favor of replying. “Unfortunately, there’s no one here for you to help anymore.” He smiles bitterly. “It’s only me now, and all I’d wanted was to not be on my own.”

“A contemplative look passes over the youth’s face. “Why not that then?”

“Sorry?” Sakumo asks, not quite following the train of thought.

The youkai shrugs. “You just said it yourself. You don’t want to be alone. I can stay by your side as a guard or as a comrade.”

“For you to offer that, what would you want in return?” It’s not that Sakumo distrusts him, but he can’t imagine why a youkai would be willing to stick around with him.

The young man’s eyes narrow in thought. “How about this then?” he offers. “On the off chance that anything happens to you, I get control of the clan affairs. You may not see much use, but I can think of a lot of things I could do.”

It’s such an outlandish notion, but Sakumo can’t say that he hates the idea.

“Why would you even bother?” he asks, almost desperately. It seems too good to be true that he would be offered relief from a guaranteed life of loneliness.

The youth lets out an amused snort. “You severely underestimate just how boring things can get for youkai. And…” His voice abruptly grows somber. “It does sadden me that the clan is almost gone.”

Sakumo chuckles without humor. “Basically you’ll do this because you feel sorry for me.”

The youkai doesn’t answer, and Sakumo treats the lack of denial as confirmation. “I’ll take it though. But there’s just one problem. There’s no way I can explain your presence in the village. Everyone knows I’m the only Hatake left so you won’t be able to blend in this time.”

“I could be a long lost relative,” the youth suggests.

Sakumo shakes his head. “It would never work. A shinobi that no one has ever heard of suddenly coming out of the woodwork and sticking by me right after I’ve lost my wife and child?"

No, that would be far too suspicious.

"It’s common knowledge that I’m the last of my clan. The only other would’ve been my.... son.” Sakumo trails off, wheels churning in his mind. _But a youkai would probably never stand for that._

“Hmm, take the place of your child? I suppose I could do that.”

Sakumo gapes at the youkai. “You’re saying that you wouldn’t find it insulting or demeaning at all to pretend to be my infant son?”

But the young man just waves a hand dismissively. “I’ve taken plenty of forms throughout the years. This would hardly be much of a stretch. And being the heir of a shinobi clan could be very interesting indeed...”

Hardly able to believe this recent turn of events, Sakumo manages to get out the words, “So we have a deal?”

It’s difficult to tell, but the youkai appears to be smiling underneath his mask.

“I believe we do.”

Before Sakumo can respond, the young man raises a finger. “Just one thing, do I need an alias?”

That certainly wasn’t a question Sakumo was expecting. “Do you have a reason to hide your name? What is it anyway?”

“It’s Madara.”

“Oh...” Sakumo hides a grimace. “You definitely can’t go by that.”

“And the reason?”

“It’s just that one of the founders of this village was named Madara, and he was infamous for becoming the very first shinobi to turn traitor to Konoha.”

The youkai sighs but doesn’t look particularly troubled. “Well, I would like to point out that I did have that name first. But your point still stands. Do you have any suggestions?”

Bemused, Sakumo shakes his head. “Names were never my strong suit. Akiko and I took forever to decide on a name for our son. We were going to call him Kakashi. So unless you would like to use that one....”

The young man muses over it for a second. “Not bad, I like it.” He grins underneath the mask. “It’s settled then.” He reaches his hand out to clasp Sakumo’s in a handshake.

“Kakashi it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where Kakashi’s story begins...


	4. A place no engineers can master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Various arrangements are made.

Given that Sakumo is a well-known figure in Konoha, he and Kakashi have plenty of details to hammer out. After all, they need to figure out how to integrate a youkai into a hidden village. Unlike before, Kakashi’s true identity will be kept a secret this time around. Shinobi and humans, in general, do not take kindly to things they cannot understand. In this age, the word of a clan heir and the backing of a clan head will not be enough.

So, they have to ensure that Kakashi can convincingly pass himself off as Sakumo’s son. Kakashi had seen his fair share of human young during his time with the clan, enough to be able to craft the form of an infant. However, this human disguise would have to be his most complex one yet. As a long-lasting form, it has to stand up to scrutiny. It has to grow and change the way an actual human would, gradually yet conspicuously.

And Kakashi needs to make sure that he can act like a human child too. This entails around half a day spent hurriedly studying the stages of human development from whatever relevant texts the two could locate in the Hatake clan grounds. There hadn’t been many, but this research was rather necessary as neither Sakumo or Kakashi had been especially knowledgable about the specifics.

However, they did run into a few hitches here and there. Kakashi hadn’t quite comprehended it before, but human growth is exceedingly _slow._ It simply hadn’t felt that way to him before. For a youkai who’d walked the earth for as long as he had, humans were like mayflies to him, living and dying in a blink of an eye.

Sakumo had been worried that masquerading as a human child was an act the youkai would’ve considered beneath him. On the contrary, Kakashi is far less concerned by the outward appearance of his disguise. His apprehension is primarily due to the issue of mobility and autonomy rather than pride.

Had the situation called for Kakashi to take the form of a wizened old man, a humanoid bull creature, or even a fat and ugly cat, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference to him. The humans, however, will expect a child to be coddled and guided for the first part of its life.

And that’s because newly born humans are helpless little creatures. It apparently takes an infant around three months before it can even roll over on its own. They're generally not able to stand on their own until they’ve reached eleven months in age.

Madara considers himself to be a reasonably patient being, but he’s not sure if he can cope with the tedium of pretending to be a tiny and ineffectual baby for so long. And spending the following years functioning and communicating on the level expected of a child is hardly any more appealing.

After three years, human young are only just learning how to balance on one foot. And they typically don’t even start learning numbers or begin reading until the age of five. Then there’s the prospect of the Academy, where one must enroll in order to become a shinobi. Considering Kakashi had trained rigorously as a shinobi during the last time he lived side by side with humans, this looks to be a comparatively dull prospect.

Despite this, Kakashi has no intention of reneging on his agreement with Sakumo. Youkai, as a rule, tend to take deals very seriously, no matter how major or inconsequential. Also, it would have been extremely cruel of him to turn tail simply because things had started to look more tiresome that he assumed they would be. And Sakumo had thought of a workable option anyway.

After a few hours of pouring through what information they had on the various phases of childhood, a slightly frazzled Sakumo finally looks up and says “I think we should try going about this a different way.”

Kakashi puts his own book down, frowning. “What do you mean?”

Sakumo gestures vaguely towards the text in his hand. “Maybe we don’t need to arrange everything literally by the book. Maybe we can cut a few corners here.”

Sakumo has been getting better at reading Kakashi’s emotions through the mask because he picks right up on the youkai’s intrigued expression and continues.

“You need to pass off as a child, but who said that you needed to be a normal child? This is a shinobi village, there’s so much that’s out of ordinary anyway. Especially since every now and then, an exceptionally advanced kid will come along. We could try going down that route and get you through the Academy so much sooner."

That catches Kakashi’s interest. “So, you’re saying that we could present myself as some sort of prodigy instead. And that would give me a reason to progress at an accelerated rate. Is that right?”

“Exactly,” Sakumo confirms with a slightly relieved smile, grateful that they seem to be on the same page. “And prodigies are anomalies anyway. No one expects anything normal from them. If we could just establish you as an especially talented child from early on, we could probably get away with anything. I doubt that the village would even bat an eye.”

Kakashi jumps on that idea. “Considering that I’ve trained as a shinobi since before Konoha was even founded, I think that can be done. But, how quickly should we move? From what you mentioned about the average age one becomes a shinobi, do you think cutting that time in half would be too drastic?”

“Actually, I was thinking that we could probably have that done even sooner,” Sakumo admits almost sheepishly. “In my opinion, we could most likely get away with you graduating in just five years from now. It would be a village record by a significant margin but you’d be considered an adult in the eyes of Konoha regardless of your supposed age.”

It only takes Kakashi a few seconds to go over the idea in his head before he agrees.

“Let’s go with that then. While I’ve _looked_ human before, I was never trying to pass myself off as one. So attempting to accurately mimic the emotion and psychological development of a human child throughout the years might prove to be too complicated to pull off.”

With that settled, the two move onto the subject of the various disguises that Kakashi intends to use in Konoha. This part is much simpler given that Kakashi had already perfected his human form decades ago. With Sakumo offering his opinion, Kakashi develops the guise of an infant that he can gradually adjust as time goes by.

Now that Kakashi will no longer be trying to act like a child, he can spend much more of his focus on his physical appearance and ensure that it won’t draw unwanted notice. However, the main thing is to make sure that he looks enough like Sakumo throughout the years.

Although, Kakashi does intend for his child form to wear a mask as soon as he reaches a reasonable size to do so. Sakumo looks both baffled and amused by this declaration but doesn’t question his choice. Once that’s been decided, Kakashi shifts back into the human form he’d been wearing since that first conversation he had with Sakumo.

It’s only then that Kakashi recalls a surprising detail that had escaped him during the confusion of his initial encounter with Sakumo. Namely that Sakumo was able to see his true form. In Kakashi’s haste to get to the clan, he hadn’t bothered donning the henge he usually layered over himself when in wolf form. Which means, Sakumo must possess an especially rare amount of spiritual power.

Given Kanako’s abilities, Kakashi wouldn’t be surprised if Sakumo was a direct descendant of hers. Sakumo himself is quite surprised to hear this although he isn’t certain of his ancestry. Apparently, much of their clan history was lost as the Hatake grew fewer and fewer in number.

At their first meeting, Sakumo hadn’t realized what a rare feat it was to even see the wolf spirit that had broken through the doors of his house. After all, he never knew that there was a time in which his clan had formed an alliance with a powerful youkai. If Kakashi had to guess, he would say the information surrounding that part of the Hatake’s past had likely faded away after Kanako’s death.

Although a worrying thought crosses through Kakashi’s mind following that initial realization. Throughout the years, he’s noticed that many individuals with significant spiritual power also have mothers who died while or shortly after giving birth to them. Still, this is hardly a confirmed effect, simply something drawn from observation. It could just be a coincidence that Sakumo’s wife had died in childbirth as well.

But if he remembers correctly, Kanako mentioned before that her mother had also died not long after she was born. Either way, Kakashi makes a mental note to never inform Sakumo about this possible relationship. Spiritual power is typically hereditary, and he wouldn’t want Sakumo to have any reason to think that he might be in some way to blame for the death of his wife and child. Best to pretend he never had the thought at all.

And by now, Kakashi and Sakumo have been cooped up in Hatake clan grounds for almost five days, painstakingly running through the timeline of all their plans. Fortunately, Sakumo is known as a somewhat reclusive figure when it comes to his daily life, so no one finds it particularly odd for him to be out of public sight for a week or so.

Once everything is in place, Sakumo lies low for a few more days before venturing out into the village to break the tragic news of his wife’s death

And then, it’s time to introduce his peers to his “son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madara will be going by and thinking of himself as Kakashi almost all the time now, especially because the name Madara doesn’t exactly carry positive connotations in Konoha.


	5. Where the roads must twist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A curious youkai is unleashed within the walls of the village.

From the village’s perspective, nothing about Sakumo or Kakashi Hatake had seemed terribly unusual at first. 

In fact, it had all seemed normal to begin with. Many had known that Sakumo and his wife were expecting a child. And while his wife’s death during childbirth was certainly shocking and unfortunate, it could hardly be considered an abnormal occurrence. 

At first, few people had personally laid eyes on Sakumo’s son, Kakashi. Sakumo had barely left the Hatake clan grounds during the first few days following Kakashi’s birth, leaving only to bring his child in for a medical examination at the hospital. But that was an understandable reaction in the wake of his wife’s demise. What father wouldn’t be protective over his infant son following such a loss?

In the weeks after Kakashi was born, the people of Konoha had actually seen significantly more of Yuto, the new dog summons Sakumo had acquired around that time. The Hatake clan could be witnessed on rare occasions carrying his son through the village, wrapped carefully in a bundle of blankets. However, one was far more likely to find Sakumo with the gray Hokkaido dog trailing dutifully after him. 

Again, none of this was cause for any raised eyebrows either. A newly single parent wanting another pair of eyes around was completely reasonable. Furthermore, the Hokkaido was a rather fitting choice of breed given that they were known to behave well around small children while having a reputation for being brave hunters. And Yuto himself seems quite reasonable for a summons. The shinobi who have the opportunity to speak to him quickly find that the dog is easygoing if a little bit sarcastic.

Many in Konoha expected the possibility that Sakumo would take a significant amount of time off in the wake of his son’s birth and his wife’s death. But before long, Sakumo voices his intentions to begin taking on missions again. Still, there’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary there, and many of his peers assume that his summons will be supervising Kakashi when Sakumo is out of the village. 

However, Sakumo mentions that Yuto will be going on missions with him in order to gain combat experience. Now, this does give a few people pause, although barely. Some ask if he’ll hire a genin team for a babysitting mission, but Sakumo brushes their concerns off. 

“Oh, Kakashi can handle himself,” is Sakumo’s untroubled response. At this, quite a few of his fellow shinobi think that they’ve misheard the Hatake clan head. After all, Kakashi’s age could still be measured in weeks at this point. Looking back, they all recognize that this should’ve been the first clue that hinted at how bizarre the Hatake clan truly was. 

Because at only four months after his birth, Kakashi Hatake is already capable of walking. And there’s none of the unsteady, faltering steps that are characteristic of babies who are moving around on their own for the first time. At an age where most infants haven’t even learned how to crawl or sit up, Kakashi is walking alongside his father and keeping up with his pace easily. 

The next thing the people of Konoha very quickly realize is that Kakashi Hatake looks like no other four-month-old that they’ve seen before. If they didn’t know any better, they might’ve believed that he was a different child altogether because there seems to be no conceivable way that he could’ve progressed so far in such a short amount of time.

Sakumo’s son already has a full head of spikey silver hair and a focused gaze that seems out of place on someone who’s barely over two feet tall. Kakashi doesn’t have the body proportions of a child either. Rather, he looks like a miniaturized version of an adult. And in all honesty, the tiny shinobi mask covering the lower half of his face might be the least jarring aspect of his appearance. 

Meanwhile, Sakumo finds himself marveling at what the residents of a hidden village are willing to believe. The shinobi might find something to be odd, they might question it, but they will ultimately accept it in the end. And while he and Kakashi pushed every possible boundary they could think of, everyone had still let it slide. 

Then again, what could they have done besides come to terms with Kakashi’s absurdly accelerated development? It’s wasn’t like there were any other plausible conclusions they could draw. Because this is a scenario where the truth is far stranger than they could even imagine. 

And with that, they continue on with their plan. After around eight months following Kakashi’s “birth,” they decide it’s time for Kakashi to begin speaking in public. At this point, everyone is somewhat numbed to the shock, so they startle slightly less at the sight of such a young child already engaging in conversations. And before long, their curiosity sets in. A few people in Konoha even start to seek Kakashi out, intrigued by the rumors surrounding the astonishing prodigy. 

Although, Sakumo would guess that most people who converse with Kakashi likely wish they hadn’t. Because even though they all think they’re prepared, all of them are still taken aback by how perceptive, quick-witted, and blunt the youkai actually is. And then there’s the fact that Kakashi also has a tendency to say things that no child would ever say. 

It’s generally not too difficult to find something nice to say about other people’s children, but Sakumo can tell that most struggle to describe Kakashi in a way that doesn’t include the word “menace.” By now, a significant number of people in Konoha have had an encounter with Kakashi that they remember less than fondly.

Jiraiya, in particular, will never forget the time he had been peeking through the cracks in the bathhouse walls and turned around to find Kakashi Hatake standing patiently behind him. Naturally, he had attempted to laugh it off and make a half-hearted excuse for his actions, assuming that his friend’s young son wouldn’t have even picked up on what he was trying to do anyway. 

“Hey kiddo, what brings you out here? Me, I’m just taking a walk around the village.” 

Kakashi hadn’t looked at all fooled by his barefaced lie. Instead, the very small child had said to him rather sincerely, “I’d be careful when it comes to admiring beautiful girls. You never know when one might actually be trying to lure you away so it can consume your body and soul.” 

He had then walked off like nothing even happened, leaving Jiraiya sputtering inelegantly outside of the building. Unfortunately, the noise had been enough to alert the inhabitants of the bathhouse who then began to investigate the disturbance. Jiraiya was forced to make a hasty retreat or else suffer their incoming wrath. 

Personally, Kakashi would say that he’s given the voyeur a piece of invaluable advice. Some youkai do in fact take the form of gorgeous women, and many of them are quite ravenous as well. 

Councilor Danzō Shimura is another individual who likely regrets his decision to interact with the Hatake clan heir. Sakumo wouldn’t normally excuse blatantly insulting an esteemed elder of Konoha in the name of one’s own amusement, but no harm was actually done. And it’s not like he holds that much authority over Kakashi. The youkai is only pretending to be his son after all. Anyhow, Kakashi’s justification was that he could easily tell that the elder was someone who was accustomed to talking down to others. 

“He’s the kind of person who’s fixated on power, the type who always wants things to go his own way. So, I felt that calling him feeble, old, and on the verge of death would be highly entertaining.”

Sakumo can’t exactly disagree with that. The elder had turned a shade of purple that he hadn’t thought to be humanly possible. However Danzō had expected the conversation to go, that certainly wasn’t it. Sakumo considers it unlikely that Shimura has spent enough time around children to realize just how candid they could be. Though in all fairness, Kakashi is not a child and was deliberately trying to offend him then. 

Then there’s Kakashi’s encounter with Orochimaru, which was singular in that the snake Sannin himself wasn’t terribly bothered by their conversation. Rather, it was everyone around them who became unnerved. 

On the surface, Kakashi considers Orochimaru to be a curious human. Between the man’s paper-white skin, purple markings, golden eyes, and slitted pupils, he looks more like a youkai than anyone else in Konoha. If Kakashi didn’t know better, he would’ve said that Orochimaru was the spirit in disguise. 

Except Orochimaru is undeniably a man of science, one who considers the limits set by nature to be arbitrary constructs. This mindset is completely foreign to Kakashi. A youkai may have the ability to change its forms and grow or wane in strength, but they are all ultimately invariable at their core. 

One thing led to another then, and the two had engaged in a lengthy discussion about the morality and mechanics of body modifications. Orochimaru had seemed mildly pleased to find another person willing to deliberate over such topics while Kakashi simply found the concept of manually changing one’s physical makeup to be fascinating. The other shinobi in the vicinity had only found it disturbing. 

But the sooner that the people of Konoha accept the fact that Kakashi isn’t normal, the easier it will be for everyone in the long run. Because he and Sakumo are still trying to make sure that he becomes a shinobi as soon as possible. And to do this, there needs to be no doubt about Kakashi’s skill or competence. 

Accordingly, Sakumo and Kakashi begin holding highly conspicuous training sessions on a monthly basis.

Passersby shake their heads in disbelief at the sight of such a young child performing feats that should’ve been impossible for him. Kakashi throws kunai with pinpoint precision, slashes through trees with bolts of lightning, propels torrents of water from the river, and spars with Sakumo on the level of an adult shinobi. These are all things that he learned decades before with the Hatake clan, but the onlookers have no reason to know that. 

As the next few years pass, Kakashi takes the village by storm, leaving baffled shinobi and civilians in his wake. At one point, Sakumo wonders if he should encourage Kakashi to downplay his actions, but he thinks back to the few tales that he’s heard about youkai. 

Some are said to be benevolent spirits, some are deemed as wicked monsters. Others however are described as mischievous tricksters who toy and play around with humans for their own amusement. Kakashi appears to be enjoying himself, so Sakumo sees no need to call for a stop to it as long as no one suffers any major repercussions. 

Eventually, Sakumo and Kakashi decide it’s time to put a request before the Academy. It’s not a request to enroll, however. Instead, it’s one to bypass the school curriculum entirely and immediately graduate as a shinobi. Even though Kakashi's reputation proceeds him, the baffled administrators still have one condition. Kakashi must attend Academy lessons for at least a month, after which the teachers will assess if he has truly met the academic requirements or not. Kakashi and Sakumo both agree, knowing it won’t take long for them to concede. 

Sure enough, Kakashi Hatake makes history that very day as the youngest person ever in Konoha to become a shinobi at the age of five.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Konoha’s perspective essentially shifts very quickly from “That makes sense” to “This is in no way normal” in regard to Kakashi.


	6. Like tendrils up the mountainside on narrow cliffs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After becoming a shinobi, Kakashi and Sakumo go on a few missions, some low-pressure and others far more consequential.

Kakashi voices the thought as he and Sakumo are walking home from the Academy.

“It’s all a little bit absurd.”

“Hmm, what is?” Sakumo asks absentmindedly, turning to look at Kakashi. 

He can hardly believe how accustomed he’s grown to having the youkai around. Kakashi has been a constant companion throughout the past five years, using his human form to masquerade as his son and pretending to be his dog summons in order to go on missions with him. 

“That they would even consider giving a child this,” Kakashi clarifies, tapping a finger on the metal plate of his newly received forehead protector. 

A confused look crosses over Sakumo’s face. “Are you having second thoughts about being a shinobi? After all this planning to make sure you could graduate as soon as possible?”

“Not about this specifically,” Kakashi explains, “but just some concerns about your system as a whole. Now, I’ve obviously proved that I’m intelligent enough to be out in the field, that I can handle myself in combat, and that I have enough skill to use chakra effectively.” 

Kakashi very pointedly gestures to himself. “That doesn’t change the fact that I’m still a tiny human being. I’m small enough that one well-aimed kick could take me out. Even a gust of wind would do. Have you ever seen a tornado? And not one that was created by a jutsu.”

Sakumo shakes his head, not entirely sure where Kakashi is going with this. 

“Well natural tornadoes can have winds strong enough to sweep children away. In areas where whirlwinds are more common, some families will lie on top of their kids to weigh them down when they’re taking shelter. Otherwise, tornadoes have been known to rip children out of their parents’ hands.” 

Kakashi frowns, realizing that he’s gone a little off-topic there. “My point is that there’s an inherent size and weight difference regardless of skill. Fortunately, I am not actually a human child, so no harm will come to me anyway. But Konoha believes that I am, and they still made me a shinobi.” 

“You do have a point, “ Sakumo admits, looking thoughtful. “But that’s just the way things have always been. If you prove that you have the skill, then your age doesn’t really matter. Regulations like these also help ensure that hidden villages can have a shinobi force of sufficient size. During a war, Academy students will graduate at noticeably younger ages than they would during times of peace.

The youkai rolls his eyes at this. “You humans and your obsession with having armies…” Kakashi mutters under his breath. There’s no heat in his tone, however. 

Ignoring the side comment, Sakumo continues. “And if an age limit were to be set, I’m not sure where they would draw the line and what factors they would base that decision on. There’s always going to be a certain level of risk involved no matter what age a shinobi is, and the vast majority go into the profession with that understanding.”

“I guess it does make sense in a way,” Kakashi allows. “And I suppose my argument about still being small and vulnerable could even apply to you as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re obviously a highly skilled jōnin. But I could always step on you in my wolf form and it would be the end of that.” 

“Thanks for mentioning that,” Sakumo replies dryly. “And for future reference, I would prefer for that to never happen either.”

While Sakumo is exceedingly grateful for Kakashi’s presence in his life, he’d like to think that he wouldn’t be subject to this much attitude from an actual child. Either way, these are the circumstances that fate has granted him. The only thing he can do is roll with the punches and try to enjoy the ride. 

Speaking of which, it’s time for Kakashi and him to move onto the next phase of their plans. The most difficult part is over now that Kakashi is a shinobi, but there are still other issues to attend to. Now that Kakashi has graduated, he will be expected to be in close and prolonged contact with other Konoha shinobi. 

It won’t just be Sakumo anymore, and more scrutiny means more chances that somebody will notice that there’s something off about Kakashi. He’s confident in the youkai’s ability to blend in when necessary, but secrets still have a way of making themselves known. 

However, they have a little bit of a reprieve at the moment. Newly graduated genin are normally assigned to a three-man team led by a jōnin-sensei. However, Konoha is in the peculiar position of having neither teammates nor a sensei ready for Kakashi due to his accelerated graduation. For the time being, he will have to wait. 

Given the unique situation, the Sandaime himself had informed the two as to what the next steps for Kakashi were likely to be. Academy students are typically enrolled for several years, and most become genin between the ages of eight to twelve. But because of the timing, there are no other recent graduates at the moment.

So until a team is available, they intend to have a jōnin first take Kakashi on as an apprentice as it would allow Kakashi to continue training and learning in the meantime. There is currently not a jōnin on hand either, but it will be quicker to find a teacher for him than it will take to assemble an entire team. 

For now, Sakumo has been granted permission to take Kakashi along on his own missions. He’s expected to use his own discretion to determine which ones are appropriate, however the Sandaime had heavily hinted that it would be advisable for Sakumo to limit this to lower-level, solo missions. 

Those missions turn out to be a surprisingly pleasant change of pace. Kakashi has been on plenty of missions as Yuto, but he still has to act like a ninken in front of Sakumo’s teammates. Sakumo was very rarely given solo assignments before, so going on a mission in human form is a new experience. And an added benefit is that Kakashi can start earning his own pay now. 

The two go on a variety of assignments, including delivery, retrieval, information gathering, and escort missions. Whenever they travel far outside of Konoha, Kakashi will take them on detours when they’re able to and show Sakumo the variety of youkai that occupy the wilderness. 

Before, Sakumo hadn’t quite comprehended just how many different types of youkai were out there. Sure, Kakashi had mentioned a few, but that’s completely different from personally witnessing a white mouse-like creature dressed in blue robes ambling down the forest path ahead of them. 

He sees some that would be indistinguishable from humans such as a little blonde girl in a yellow kimono scampering between the trees. There’s also some that look almost human, like a woman with wings who wore a paper mask with a large eye on it covering the upper half of her face. And then there’s the bizarre ones like the youkai that had bluish-gray skin, glowing eyes, pointed ears, and an overly long tongue. 

Sakumo is also surprised by the deference and in some cases, fear, the other youkai show Kakashi. A few had recognized Kakashi and exchanged a few words with him or gave a respectful nod before moving along. Others had appeared somewhat hostile upon seeing Sakumo, but their anger had quickly withered once Kakashi made his presence known. From there, most of them had squeaked out a brief acknowledgment of “Madara-sama!” before making themselves scarce.

He knew that Kakashi was certainly a powerful spirit, but he hadn’t quite realized just how high he sat on the pecking order. 

As they travel, Kakashi gives him a little advice for handling youkai as well.

“Quite a few will probably want to eat you because of your spiritual power. So if any of them ever give you any trouble, a solid punch should make them reconsider.”

Sakumo isn’t sure how to feel about that. But Kakashi strolls along as if he hadn’t said something that was cause for immediate alarm.

Finally noticing Sakumo’s expression, Kakashi rolls his eyes and adds, “I’ll probably be there as well so it shouldn’t be something to worry too much about.”

While he would like to argue that the possibility of getting eaten is definitely something to be concerned about, Sakumo knows it’s pointless to argue with the youkai. 

The remainder of that mission passes smoothly, but Sakumo finds that there is already another assignment waiting for him when they return to Konoha. 

It’s an S-rank mission assigned to him and two other jōnin. They’ll be traveling out to the border between Iwagakure and Kusagakure. Apparently, the village’s spies have heard rumors that Iwa is sending forces to infiltrate Kusagakure. The word is that Iwa intends for those clandestine units to trespass into the Land of Fire and eventually encroach on Konoha itself.

Sakumo and his team have been tasked with investigating those claims and will possibly be required to sneak into the Land of Earth itself. However, secrecy will be of the utmost importance as Konoha would be seen as the instigator if they were to be discovered. Given the existing friction between the villages, that could very well be enough to incite an international incident with Iwa. 

So for obvious reasons, Kakashi will not be able to accompany Sakumo in his human form. Kakashi would normally go as Yuto in that case, but he’s been asked to a meeting on the same day that Sakumo will be departing from Konoha. 

Apparently, there is a genin team that is currently down a member due to injury. Said genin is unsure whether he wants to continue his career as a shinobi, so Kakashi is being considered as a potential replacement. 

The team had originally intended to enter the upcoming chūnin exams, so they’re eager to fill the empty spot should their wounded teammate choose not to follow through. As this could be a convenient opportunity for promotion, Kakashi agrees to meet them. From there, they will be spending the next few days training, running drills, and performing D-ranks to ascertain their compatibility as a team.

So Kakashi sets off to meet his potential teammates while Sakumo leaves for his mission.

The mission is going well at first until suddenly it isn’t. 

The three had just crossed the border into the Land of Earth when they’d stumbled across a well-concealed trap of explosives. Sakumo had managed to avoid the brunt of it, but both his teammates are unconscious and badly injured. And to make the situation even worse, a scouting team from Iwa is heading in their direction. 

Sakumo was told in no uncertain terms that they were to remain undetected. Because of this, attacking the Iwa nin isn't a viable option. After all, it's unlikely that Sakumo could dispatch them all before one of them raised an alarm. There’s still hope, however. He can cast a genjutsu over his teammates to make it look like no one is there, evade the scouting party, and complete the mission. But if he leaves the two of them there, they will certainly die. 

His teammates need immediate medical attention. And if Sakumo gets them to safety now, they’ll probably live. But there’s no way they’ll be able to escape Iwa’s notice that way. 

These are the terrible decisions that no one is ever prepared to make.

Sakumo knows that there’s far more than their own lives at stake, because if he sparks conflict with Iwa…

Still, Shoya has two small children of his own while Narumi is the eldest of three sisters. Could Sakumo truly live with himself if he leaves them here to die? 

Right now there’s two options, the mission or his team. 

He knows what he has to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakumo has a crucial choice to make.


	7. Where boulders block the way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakumo chooses his teammates.

The Iwa nin are approaching.

Sakumo crouches over his unconscious teammates, trying to determine the safest and quickest way to move them. By doing this, he’s abandoning any chance he might have had at successfully completing the mission.

The consequences of this decision will undoubtedly be steep. Sakumo could be stripped of his shinobi rank for this at the very least. Deliberately disregarding the parameters of the mission might be enough to put him on trial for treason. What he is about to could very well propel Konoha into war with another shinobi country. But he can’t think about those things now. 

Sakumo _will not_ be the shinobi who abandons his team. 

And then he hears a distinct rustle from a few feet to his left.

He whips around in dread, scanning the vicinity in barely concealed panic. But there’s nothing but boulders and a few clusters of trees dotting the rocky expanse. 

Sakumo wants to scream in frustration. Is it another scouting team? If so, their chances of escape have suddenly become very slim. Are all three of them going to die here in enemy territory? Will their last act be to bring disgrace to Konoha?

But instead of an enemy, a gray Hokkaido dog pads out into the open. _Kakashi!_

_How did he get here?_

Kakashi meets his eyes for a brief moment. Then a cloud of smoke materializes around him, and from it emerges a colossal white wolf. 

Sakumo has seen Kakashi’s true form before. After all, the youkai had initially appeared in his wolf form during their initial meeting. But Kakashi had been small enough to walk through the doors of the main house then. Now, Sakumo is staring up at a beast that’s at least twenty feet tall, possibly thirty at full height. He remembers Kakashi’s joking comment about stepping on him and realizes that the youkai could easily crush him under a single paw. 

Kakashi looks down at him with golden eyes that are larger than Sakumo’s entire head.

“Go!” he growls in a deep, resounding voice. “Finish the mission. I’ll make sure they’re safe.”

Sakumo doesn’t need to be told twice, and sprints away as the massive wolf takes a protective stance over Shoya’s and Narumi’s unconscious forms. 

As he leaves the area, he hears the wolf spirit’s roar echo throughout the region. And judging by how the members of the Iwa scouting team are exchanging concerned looks, they can hear it too. Kakashi must have layered a henge over his true form, allowing his presence to be detected by other shinobi. Kakashi isn’t quite in their line of sight yet, but the Iwa nin can tell that there’s something up ahead. They know there’s something out there that they are utterly unequipped to handle. 

Sakumo isn’t entirely sure what the youkai’s plans are, whether they entail fighting the Iwa nin, distracting them, or retreating to safety. Either way, he trusts Kakashi to look after his teammates and provide them with the help they need. Kakashi knows first aid, and Shoya is also wearing a pack full of medical supplies. 

With Kakashi drawing the attention of the scouting party, Sakumo slips by them unhindered and travels deeper into the Land of Earth. Now that a tremendous worry has been taken off his mind, Sakumo can actually focus on the mission. Although he was prepared to let the assignment go down the drain if it meant saving his teammates, he can’t deny that this is certainly a crucial one. 

If Iwa is preparing to invade Konoha by way of Kusagakure, they’ll need to know as soon as possible. If Iwa is already stationing its shinobi in preparation for a potential invasion, then this could be lifesaving intelligence. Given what Sakumo’s team has already observed during the mission, it appears as though Iwa does, in fact, have ulterior motives. Traveling through Kusagakure, they had come across evidence indicating an atypical number of active shinobi in the area as well as the telltale signs of Earth Release jutsus.

These findings were suspicious yet inconclusive, hence why Sakumo’s team had risked crossing into the Land of Earth. If the rumors were true, then they expected to discover some pattern of Iwa nin, likely in the form of three-man teams, stretching back to the village. 

And this is what Sakumo essentially observes during his solo investigations. With that, he can conclude that Iwa is not willing to maintain peace after all. However, their plans still appear to be in a stage of infancy at this point. While Iwa’s intentions are there, its numbers aren’t. In all honesty, there are only slightly more of their shinobi stationed than usual.

Still, this is vital information that Sakumo needs to communicate to Konoha, so he departs as soon as his suppositions are confirmed. It isn’t until he’s reached the border once more that Sakumo realizes that he has no way of finding Kakashi now. 

But it turns out that there’s no need to worry about that because it is Kakashi who finds him again. Sakumo hears the youkai approaching first as Kakashi is still in his wolf form. On his back are Shoya and Narumi, looking much better now that their wounds have been carefully cleaned and bandaged.

Kakashi seems relieved to see him although it’s a little difficult to read the facial expressions of an oversized wolf.

“You’re back.” The youkai comes to a stop before Sakumo. “Hop on, it’ll be easier this way.”

Sakumo complies, jumping up and settling on the thick white fur between his teammates. This is a first, the wolf spirit offering him a ride. But Sakumo supposes that the situation had never been dire enough before. Even though Shoya and Narumi seem to be in stable condition, it’s probably best to get them back to Konoha as soon as possible. And Kakashi will likely be able to cut down the travel time by a significant amount. 

What Sakumo doesn’t expect is for Kakashi to push off the ground in a leap that propels them at least fifteen feet in the air. But they don’t stop there. Kakashi rises higher and higher as if gravity was an imaginary construct.

_He can fly?_

Sakumo feels a lurch in his stomach as they rocket above the treetops, the landscape below them shrinking at a rapid rate. By the time Kakashi stops ascending, the trees look more like tiny bushes while the lakes and rivers resemble puddles and trickles of water at this height.

Kakashi’s true form has no wings or anything that would even suggest that he’s capable of flight. But they’re soaring through the sky, hundreds and hundreds of feet from the earth. Sakumo had assumed that nothing would be able to surprise him anymore, but he’s struck speechless at this. He spends most of the trip in silence, keeping an eye on Shoya and Narumi to ensure that they don’t fall off Kakashi’s back.

They don’t begin to descend until they’ve crossed the border into the Land of Fire. Kakashi eventually touches down in a secluded area of forest approximately thirty miles from the outside of Konoha. Once Sakumo places his unconscious teammates safely on the ground, Kakashi shifts back into his human form. 

Only then does Sakumo begin with the many questions that he’s been saving.

“How did you know where to find me?”

Looking remarkably unbothered, Kakashi taps the back of his own head as an answer. 

Slightly confused, Sakumo mimics the action. He runs his fingers through his hair until they catch on something that’s been stuck there. Sakumo dislodges whatever it is and holds it up to his face for a closer look. 

_Paper?_

It’s a simple paper doll, similar to the ones that children will cut out in chains. Except this one has a seal, one that Sakumo doesn’t recognize, drawn carefully in black ink. It only takes a few seconds for him to put the clues together.

“You used this to keep tabs on me?” Sakumo asks, although his words are framed more as an accusation instead of a question. He knows what the answer will be.

Kakashi only shrugs in response.

“And for how long have you been doing this?”

The youkai looks thoughtful. “Maybe a few months now, I’m not entirely sure. I think it was when we started going on missions together.” 

Sakumo sighs. If Kakashi hadn’t just rescued him from an impossibly dismal situation, a lecture about boundaries and privacy would most definitely be in order. 

Sensing Sakumo’s growing exasperation, Kakashi rushes to defend himself. “I am technically your bodyguard,” he points out. “It was specified that I’m supposed to keep an eye on you, and I think you’ll agree that the job is far easier if I know exactly where you are.”

They’ve once again reached the point where arguing further is useless, so Sakumo lets the conversation drop for the time being. 

“Why exactly are you here? You were supposed to be meeting and training with that genin team? What happened to that?”

Kakashi frowns, pausing as if the detail had slipped his mind. “Oh, that didn’t go anywhere. The injured genin decided that he still wanted to be a shinobi, and his teammates agreed to wait until the next chūnin exams. He’d broken his arm in four different places, but it looks like he’ll make a full recovery.”

“So you decided to follow me instead,” Sakumo states flatly.

“Well I was only there to watch over things, and I only jumped in when the mission started going downhill.” Kakashi gives him a challenging look. “Tell me, what was your plan to deal with the Iwa nin? And did you have one that was going to keep Konoha off the hook?”

Sakumo just shakes his head. Kakashi is going to be insufferable because of this, but there’s no ideal way for Sakumo to argue against it either. He’s not terribly eager to tell Kakashi that he was prepared to forsake the mission entirely. 

But there are more important matters at hand anyway, like the fact that Shoya and Narumi are finally coming to. By the time that the two are processing the world around them, Kakashi has already transformed back into Yuto. 

The two naturally inquire about the events that took place when they were out cold, and the lie spills from Sakumo’s lips quite easily. Surprisingly, the story he spins isn’t too far from the truth. 

Sakumo tells them that Yuto and a few of his other summons had drawn the Iwa nin away, giving him the chance to go and complete the mission. Once he returned, Sakumo had administered medical attention, and his summons had aided him in transporting them back to the Land of Fire. To conclude this impromptu report, Sakumo shares his findings about Iwa’s movements. 

To his relief, Shoya and Narumi readily accept his words. Although neither of them has any reason to doubt Sakumo in the first place, especially with Kakashi as Yuto helping him flesh out the tale in a believable manner. 

And from there, the four set off for Konoha with no one else the wiser.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Sakumo lives! It wasn’t always planned out that way, however. When I first came up with the concept for this story, I had intended for Sakumo to commit suicide like he does in canon. I’m glad I changed my mind though, and I’m fairly certain others are relieved as well!
> 
> Sakumo won't die here, not if Kakashi can help it.


	8. Where tall black trunks of lightning-scalded pine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actions taken on the mission turn out to have unexpected outcomes.

Sakumo had predicted that his mission would bring its fair share of aftereffects.

Following his debriefing, Konoha was naturally very concerned about the status of Iwa’s movements. But there wasn’t much that they could actually do at this point. While Iwa’s presence in Kusagakure was certainly problematic, Konoha couldn’t justify an intervention unless the shinobi infiltrated the Land of Fire itself.

At the same time, they couldn’t pass along that information to Kusagakure without revealing that Konoha had entered their territory and the Land of Earth without permission from either party.

Still, Sakumo certainly hadn’t expected this.

Around two weeks after returning from the mission, Sakumo is summoned to the Hokage’s office to be briefed about another mission. Apparently, Iwa has recently lost a number of its border scouting teams to what they’ve presumed to be a pack of feral wolves. Due to these unusual circumstances, Iwa had initially requested aid from Kusagakure in order to further investigate these attacks.

However, Kusagakure realized very quickly that it lacked the specialized shinobi necessary for such an endeavor. Given that Konoha is home to several notable kekkei genkai, skilled trackers, and animal summons, both Iwa and Kusagakure had agreed that the operation would benefit from their assistance. They had proposed a joint mission between the three hidden villages, heavily implying that the two would owe Konoha a significant debt.

Due to Iwa’s clandestine activities, the Hokage believed that the joint operation could prove to be a valuable mission both in terms of diplomacy and information gathering. Sakumo will be one of the shinobi assigned to this mission due to his ninken and his skills as a tracker. What Iwa won’t know is that Konoha is also sending Sakumo because he was actually there in the Land of Earth only two weeks ago.

Sakumo walks back home after his meeting with the Hokage, utterly confused about this turn of events.

There is one thing he does know, however. This is somehow Kakashi’s doing.

“What did you do in the Land of Earth?” he hisses incredulously at the youkai sitting at the kitchen table.

Kakashi glances up from his book, looking mildly amused by his query. “You’ll have to be a little more specific. I did plenty of things on that mission.”

Sakumo rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean. Why did the Sandaime just inform me that Iwa nin have been experiencing a string of highly vicious wolf attacks along the border between the Land of Earth and Kusagakure?”

“Well,” Kakashi begins, marking his place before setting the book down on the table. “When I took care of that scouting team, I made sure to dispatch them in a way that wouldn’t indicate that a shinobi was responsible. So that’s why it looked like a pack of wolves killed them. But then I thought a wolf attack in an area not known to have many wolves might seem a little suspicious. For good measure, I asked a number of the local youkai to carry out a few more attacks during the past few weeks on the subsequent scouting teams."

“Those youkai agreed to do you a favor just like that?” From what Sakumo has observed, Kakashi is regarded as a spirit of high rank. Still, it’s a little surprising that other youkai would be so ready to do his bidding.

“Yes, that’s what happened,” Kakashi answers with a straight face. “Or maybe I just threatened to eat them if they didn’t do it. It’s up to you.”

Well, that would certainly be enough of an incentive.

“Moving on,” Sakumo continues dryly. “I don’t know about suspicious, but wild animal attacks are certainly not low profile either. Can you tell them to reel it back a little bit?”

Kakashi shrugs. “I suppose,” he responds, standing up. “In that case, I’ll be back in around an hour.”

“Wait!” Sakumo shouts, wanting to get his words in before Kakashi transforms into his wolf form and leaves. “Konoha’s sending me and several other shinobi to the border to help Iwa and Kusagakure with this issue. Pass along the message then.”

“Fine by me,” Kakashi agrees, looking slightly confused. I’m just saying that I could let them know and have it taken care of today. You’ve seen how fast I can travel.”

Sakumo has, and he doubts that he’ll ever forget the sight. The fact that Kakashi can _fly_ is not something that will easily slip his mind.

Still, the mission itself could be advantageous for Konoha in the political sense. If the problem is solved, neither of the villages will feel the need to send out its shinobi anymore. And having Kakashi wait until the operation itself is underway makes Sakumo feel like he still has a slight modicum of control over this situation.

Sakumo won't be the only representative from Konoha though. Several members of the Hyūga, Uchiha, and Inuzuka clans will be present as well. Shoya and Narumi, on the other hand, are remaining in the village as they haven’t fully recovered from the injuries they sustained during the previous mission.

To be honest, he isn’t even sure how this mission will go seeing as there is no dangerous pack of wolves to be found. This could prove to be interesting considering shinobi hardly enjoy embarking on wild goose chases.

Sakumo almost wants to laugh at the inherent irony of the situation. Konoha is sending him on a diplomatic mission to the very same place where he nearly triggered an international conflict. He’s will be arriving to aid a nation that he was spying only a few weeks ago. And he’ll be out there to solve a problem that wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for him. Or rather, there wouldn’t have been a problem at all if Kakashi hadn’t needed to pull him out of trouble during that last mission.

Still, he might as well see if he can make the best of this bizarre scenario.

A few days later, the Konoha shinobi travel to the designated meeting point on Kusagakure’s side of the border. There they meet the delegates from the other two villages, four Iwa nin and six from Kusagakure. Introductions are cordial, albeit with a strained undertone. It’s perfectly understandable considering the history. These villages had fought bitterly against each other during the Second Shinobi War not too long ago.

As everyone appears eager to move past the uneasy small talk, they quickly transition into developing a strategy to sweep the surrounding area. Sakumo requests permission to go off on his own, citing that Yuto is most effective as a tracker when there’s a minimal number of unfamiliar scents interfering. No one voices any heated complaints, so he splits off from the rest while everyone else is dividing themselves into groups of two and three.

Sakumo follows Yuto for around for a mile before the gray dog vanishes into a puff of smoke. From it emerges Kakashi who continues walking forward without even missing a step.

“So we’re now going to find all of the youkai that you intimidated?” Sakumo asks, presuming that they’re out of earshot of the other shinobi.

Kakashi shakes his head. “This’ll be easier than that. While I did threaten those youkai, I had an acquaintance of mine monitor them to ensure that they were actually following through. We’re going to see her instead, and she can tell the others to lay off the attacks.”

“Her” turns out to be a youkai in the form of a young woman with short dark hair. She’s indistinguishable from a human in terms of appearance, although her pink kimono would likely draw attention outside of formal ceremonies and festivals. Sakumo supposes that the butterfly ornament in her hair is rather conspicuous as well given that it’s large enough to cover the right side of her face.

“Benio,” Kakashi calls out, raising a hand in greeting.

Benio’s visible eye widens comically at the sight of them.

“Madara-sama! Why have you chosen such a scrawny form?” she splutters, gaping at Kakashi.

Sakumo tries to disguise his laugh as a cough, but Kakashi takes her comment in stride.

“It’s what the situation calls for. Listen, I need you to tell the low ranks to stop the attacks. They’re starting to draw attention.”

She mulls over the thought for a second. “Very well,” Benio agrees. “Some of them seemed like they were starting to have a little too much fun anyway.”

Her lone eye fixes on Sakumo with curiosity. “So, this is the human. I’d imagine that-"

“You can’t eat him Benio,” Kakashi interrupts, using a tone of voice that is far too laidback for Sakumo’s peace of mind.

“How dull,” Benio remarks with a slight smile. “Well, I’ll let the others know. And I still can’t believe that you’ve decided to walk around like _that_ when your true form is as majestic as it is.”

“Until next time, Benio.”

With that cue, Benio’s entire form seems to vanish _into_ her butterfly ornament which now glows with an almost blinding light. The butterfly, now mobile, flaps its wings a few times and takes off over the treetops as Kakashi and Sakumo watch.

Task completed, they begin to make their way back to the meeting point.

“How do you two know each other?” Sakumo asks, genuinely intrigued about Kakashi’s history.

“It’s somewhat of a long story,” Kakashi discloses. “In short, the youkai that she serves was in a bit of a tricky situation a while back. I ended up helping out. Nowadays, I’ll typically see her when the other youkai go out to the forests and drink. Benio drops by every now and then.”

“You drink?” Sakumo comments, slightly surprised. Although on second thought, he probably shouldn’t be considering that Kakashi is actually ancient in age.

“I’ll have you know that I’ve drunk enough sake to drown the entire village of Konoha.”

Kakashi has reverted back to his dog disguise by the time they reach the meeting spot again. There are also disgruntled faces all around as each team fails to report any conclusive leads. No one is pleased about the prospect of communicating any of these developments back to their respective villages.

It’s the Inuzuka kunoichi who actually speaks up in frustration. “Nothing about this is adding up. I mean, it’s true that wolves are territorial and can travel long distances in a short amount of time. But it’s strange because they’re generally quite wary of humans. The chances of encountering any are usually quite slim, and it’s even rarer for them to attack.”

Her ninken, who looks just as agitated, voices his agreement with a sharp bark.

Sakumo jumps in, spying a potential advantage. “Still, there are a few factors that could cause wolves to abandon those habits,” he points out, pretending to be lost in thought.

“Leaving food around and traveling too close to dens are actions that can make wolves feel more comfortable around humans. And once they’ve gotten over that fear, they might begin to view humans as prey. As for why we haven’t come across any on this mission, it may be that they were temporarily frightened away by such a large group.”

As Sakumo rattles down this list of theories, he witnesses the Iwa nin’s expressions grow infinitesimally more guilty by the second. Maybe this will make them reconsider their previous strategies. After all, planting hidden teams of shinobi in other nations will probably seem quite unappealing if they feel that feral wolves could attack them at any moment.

Either way, it’s time for everyone to return home. With absolutely no leads found, it simply isn’t practical to prolong the mission anymore. And it turns out that Konoha isn’t terribly bothered by the lack of results anyway.

To the surprise of everyone but Sakumo and Kakashi, the “wolf” attacks do decrease after the joint mission. Coincidentally, Konoha’s spies begin reporting that Iwa has started to withdraw the unauthorized forces that they had previously stationed throughout Kusagakure

Sakumo truly hates to give Kakashi any credit for this, but it looks like a crisis has indeed been averted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi has an odd sense of logic when it comes to problem-solving, but he's managed to steer everyone away from an international incident at the same time.


	9. Push through the tangled woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato meets his new and exceedingly strange student.

So maybe Sakumo and Kakashi had gotten a little carried away with themselves in the meantime. Even though Sakumo was allowed to have Kakashi accompany him on his personal missions, they probably shouldn’t have taken that as blanket permission. 

But Kakashi was growing bored with all of the simple, lower-level missions. So Sakumo began to take the youkai on slightly higher stakes missions, and it more or less escalated from there. They’d done this all rather gradually, which is probably why no one at the Mission Assignment Desk had managed to pick up on it until now.

Still, they might have taken it a little too far this time. Even though the mission was a resounding success, Sakumo can see why everyone else has been expressing such a mixture of alarm and disapproval. 

In their eyes, he did just take his six-year-old son along on an S-rank assassination mission. Sakumo would like nothing more than to take the opportunity to defend his actions, but revealing that Kakashi is actually a wolf spirit who’s been around for centuries is unfortunately not a viable option for him here. 

Sitting across from them, Hiruzen Sarutobi looks distinctly less than impressed with this turn of events. 

At least Sakumo can’t technically be charged with insubordination for this. The Hokage never actually gave him explicit orders as to what missions Kakashi was and wasn’t allowed on. He had probably assumed that such an experienced jōnin would be reasonable enough to judge for himself. But little does he know, Sakumo hasn’t been making rational decisions for a while now. It seems like most of his common sense had flown out the window the second a wolf youkai broke through the front doors of his home. 

The Sandaime regards the two with a stern gaze. “I hope that I don’t have to communicate to you how inadvisable that was.” 

Sakumo and Kakashi nod even though they aren’t repentant in the slightest. There was no actual risk associated with bringing Kakashi along on any of the operations. In fact, Sakumo would argue that bringing a formidable youkai as backup greatly increases the chances of a successful mission. Although the rest of Konoha is hardly aware of that, so Sakumo and Kakashi really should’ve tried to be more subtle about it. 

“In light of the circumstances that were recently brought to my attention, a jōnin-sensei will be assigned to guide Kakashi. They will have missions of their own to attend to.”

The obvious translation is that Sakumo is no longer allowed to take Kakashi on his missions anymore. 

Sighing as if he’s experiencing second thoughts, the Hokage continues. “This should in no way be considered a reward for your actions. But the fact that you managed to even survive on such a mission proves, at the very least, that you are worthy of the rank of chūnin. However, I must remind you that behavior of this sort in the future will not looked upon lightly. Both of you are expected to conduct yourselves in a manner befitting of your rank.”

He closes the file containing their mission report with a sense of finality. “If that is clear, then the two of you are dismissed.” 

“That didn’t go the way I expected,” Kakashi remarks as they leave the tower.

“Actually, I figured something like that was bound to happen,” Sakumo admits. “While chūnin aren’t supposed to be sent out on A or S-rank missions either, it would be even worse for them to admit that a genin was there. Your hasty promotion makes your presence a little more legitimate.”

Kakashi frowns. “Why not pretend that I wasn’t even there in the first place then?”

“I see why that might seem like a sensible action to take,” Sakumo acknowledges. “Despite how questionable it looks, omitting your involvement from the mission reports wouldn’t be advisable. You generally want to keep those as accurate as possible because you never know what might end up being a crucial detail in the future. And if you’re listed as a genin there, the Hokage’s judgment might be brought into question by anyone who happens to read the mission report. 

If a genin wasn’t even approved to be on that mission, then your presence reveals an egregious lack of oversight on Konoha’s part. But it wouldn’t look any better for them to claim that they did in fact permit a genin to participate in such a crucial, high-rank operation. Konoha’s administration would be seen as willfully careless. I suppose that you being retroactively designated as a chūnin for the mission certainly makes the situation appear unconventional but ultimately more acceptable.” 

The youkai gives a derisive snort in response. 

“Human posturing is so needlessly complex,” Kakashi comments, sounding both amused and exasperated. “It’s far simpler for youkai because it’s usually obvious as to who’s the strongest one in the area. And if that’s not clear, you fight it out to know for sure.”

Judging by the smugness in his tone, Sakumo would guess that Kakashi has been on the victorious side of a number of those bouts. 

“Still,” Kakashi continues, moving back to the previous subject at hand. “It is interesting that they decided to put a stop to this. From what I could tell, shinobi usually have little inclination to alter a successful formula. And the call obviously wasn’t made out of concern for my personal safety because they already made me, someone who is supposedly a child, a shinobi.”

Sakumo considers Kakashi’s line of thinking before replying. “The fact that all the assignments were successful is likely the main reason why we didn’t face any severe repercussions. I would say that they’re concerned about one of us becoming emotionally compromised down the line. It’s always an associated risk when working with family members or close friends. While many shinobi coordinate well with their loved ones, they can also lose the ability to act rationally when their life is at stake. The Sandaime probably wanted to nip that in the bud before it could become an issue for the two of us.” 

Kakashi and Sakumo exchange a sardonic look at this. The decision would have been admirably forward-thinking if it hadn’t been made to solve a problem that didn’t and wouldn’t exist. With one of them a highly skilled jōnin and the other an immense wolf spirit, neither feel the need to fret over the other’s well-being. And Kakashi could easily get them out of trouble should the need arise. 

“I wonder who they will assign to be my sensei though,” the youkai muses. From what the Sandaime had conveyed previously, they hadn’t expected to have a sensei for him until a few more years had passed at the soonest. Kakashi hopes they won’t be scraping the bottom of the barrel in their haste. 

Either way, this will be a true test of his ability to blend in as a human. Although, Kakashi would like to believe that he’d achieved mastery over his disguises years ago. There were a few sensors among the Hatake shinobi then, and he had taken the opportunity to refine his human form until it was nearly indistinguishable from an actual person. 

When he had first arrived in Konoha, Sakumo had cautioned him that there were a number of shinobi with enhanced abilities of perception. Accordingly, Kakashi’s current disguise is designed to withstand the scrutiny of dōjutsu like the Byakugan and Sharingan. There’s always a risk, however, especially when introducing close and prolonged contact with other shinobi. 

His new sensei turns out to be Minato Namikaze, a jōnin who is surprisingly young. He only looks to be around ten or so years older than the age Kakashi is claiming to be. Kakashi supposes he could do worse though. Sakumo confirms that Namikaze is regarded as one of Konoha’s rising stars, so he must be competent at the very least. 

________________________

On the other hand, Minato isn’t sure how to feel about this sudden change of circumstance. He’d always planned on becoming a jōnin-sensei, but he hadn’t expected the Hokage himself to draft him as a teacher before he reached the age of twenty. Although that might not be as much of an issue given that his student is also unusually young. His apprentice will be Kakashi Hatake, the youngest shinobi in Konoha’s history. 

The Hatake clan heir has a rather interesting reputation in the village. While many already consider him to be the finest of his generation, the overwhelming consensus is that Kakashi is undeniably odd. 

The small details about Kakashi are what seem to put people on edge. It’s the mask he constantly wears and the way his words that are far too sharp to be coming from even a highly advanced child. It’s how he adopts new skills effortlessly and displays far more knowledge than one his age should be privy to.

Minato had mentioned to Jiraiya that he would soon be taking on Kakashi as an apprentice and received quite the unexpected reaction in return. His former sensei seemed to shudder briefly before displaying an expression that he had never seen before. His face exhibited an odd mixture of dread, irritation, suspicion, and embarrassment then, and Jiraiya had refused to provide an explanation for his response. Naturally, this left Minato feeling reasonably apprehensive about his new student. 

However, Minato’s first interaction with Kakashi Hatake goes surprisingly smoothly as the newly promoted chūnin had greeted him politely before introducing himself. It’s meeting Kakashi’s father that truly gives him anxiety.

He feels unusually insignificant in face of the famed war hero. People call Minato a genius, but Sakumo Hatake is about as legendary as shinobi come. While the White Fang is nothing but cordial, Minato can't help but feel that he’s still being threatened in some manner. Regardless, Minato had better hope that he’s already out of the picture should anything happen to Kakashi. Otherwise, he believes that Sakumo Hatake wouldn’t hesitate to flay him alive. 

With this thought, his brain unhelpfully decides to remind him of one of the rumors that used to circulate about the Hatake clan. Every clan has a few tall tales surrounding them, and this is one that dates all the way back to the Warring States Period. 

It’s ridiculously outlandish, but the word is that the Hatake clan used to consume the flesh of their vanquished enemies. Still, Minato has to remind himself that it’s just baseless gossip that was tossed around during a time in which all clans were enemies of each other. 

Probably.

Minato quickly changes the subject in an attempt to take his mind off of the rumors of cannibalism. 

“I’m told that you already met my former sensei, Jiraiya.” He addresses Kakashi cheerfully in an effort to both further the conversation and to possibly figure out what it is that had Jiraiya so spooked. 

Kakashi smiles. _Or is it a smirk?_ He can’t be certain with the mask.

“That I did. Please ask him how the baths are for me.” 

_Oh._

“I’ll pass along the inquiry,” Minato agrees, trying to hide his smile. Kakashi must have caught his old sensei peeking around and poked fun at him because of it. The scenario is quite an amusing one to imagine, and it’s tempting to disregard it simply as an instance of a child’s teasing. 

But the fact that Kakashi had the capacity and knowledge to both discern Jiraiya’s intentions and taunt him over it is still rather unnerving considering his young age. 

Looking at the two Hatake, Minato feels that it won’t be long before he’s praying for his sanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, please pray for this poor, poor man.


	10. To make a roost for hawks and swarming crows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kakashi is likely the most confusing person that Minato has ever met.

If Minato still has any of his hair left by the time he’s reached the age of thirty, he’ll consider it to be a tremendous victory.

Still, he hadn’t initially considered himself to be totally unprepared for this. Minato, unlike many, had no illusions as to the difficulties of teaching, fully understanding that it was a far more challenging task than most people are led to assume.

But Minato is fairly certain that teaching isn’t supposed to be as difficult and trying as _this._

First of all, he thought that he would be a little older and have a little more experience under his belt before being enlisted as a sensei. Second, Minato had envisioned himself becoming a jōnin-sensei to three genin freshly graduated from the Academy, bright-eyed and eager to learn.

He was prepared to be patient and ready to mediate in the event that squabbles broke out amongst his team. And it wasn’t that Minato had expected for his students to be difficult, he was just aware that personality clashes were common when working with young people. He just considered himself to be well equipped to handle issues of that sort.

Minato had never imagined that he’d be dealing with Kakashi Hatake, a six-year-old chūnin who manages to conduct himself as if he’s dreadfully bored of and highly intrigued with the world all at the same time.

But for better or for worse, Minato is now the one in charge of educating and guiding the child who was advanced enough to become a fully-fledged shinobi at the improbable age of five.

While he had never met Kakashi before being assigned to be his sensei, Minato was well aware of the young Hatake’s reputation. By that point, Kakashi was a near infamous figure in Konoha. Almost everyone knew of the prodigy with the shrewd gaze of a strategist and the fluid movements of a seasoned fighter.

Meeting Kakashi was a little disarming because the boy seemed both stranger and more normal in person. Aside from the mask and silver hair, his appearance wasn’t particularly unusual. But after only ten minutes of conversation, Minato could see why so many in the village found Kakashi off-putting.

Adults, and this applies to shinobi as well, generally expect for young children to behave in a certain manner. Kids are thought to be playful and naïve, forthright and often tactless. But what Minato has noticed is that Kakashi will play to and subvert these expectations to his advantage.

Namely, he seems to enjoy using his age as an excuse to say the kinds of things that only a child could get away with. Only Minato doesn’t doubt that Kakashi is fully aware of the meaning and impact that his blunt statements hold. That’s something he’ll need to be on the watch for if Minato wants to avoid being outmaneuvered by his own student.

And there’s something else that Minato picked up on during their first meeting. Few would even be able to recognize this, but Kakashi’s chakra signature is unusual to say the least. While it’s naturally similar to his father’s, it also comes across as a mass of contradictions.

There’s a muted nature to Kakashi’s chakra but also a distinct sense of wildness. His chakra stores are also unsurprisingly small, yet Minato is left with the impression that there’s somehow more than what he’s actually capable of perceiving. One way or another, Kakashi’s chakra feels slightly _off._

Although that’s hardly Minato’s main concern as of now since he’s constantly wracking his brain for new concepts to teach Kakashi. Initially, he planned on skipping past the basics and jumping straight into missions given that Kakashi was already a chūnin.

However, it turns out that he’s already been on plenty of missions with his father. Apparently, Kakashi has even been on an S-rank mission and returned, against all odds, without a scratch. If that’s true, that is simply _terrifying._

And for some inexplicable reason, no one had felt it necessary to share this information with him beforehand. If Kakashi has been going on assassination missions where he’s experiencing fighting between shinobi, how can Minato possibly top that? He can’t expect Kakashi to look forward to catching lost pets, cleaning rivers, repairing fences, or weeding gardens after that.

Accordingly, Minato’s solution for the time being has been to run field training exercises for Kakashi and invite other jōnin to take part. And whenever a mission involving combat becomes available, he’ll claim it and take the opportunity to explain various options of attack with Kakashi or even have him take the lead on strategy.

Overall, these missions and drills have gone reasonably well with Kakashi consistently proving that his rank is a well-earned one despite his young age and tendency to favor an unconventional approach to matters.

His young student also appears to be fairly receptive to this type of instruction, something that Minato is expressly thankful for because he doesn’t want to know what the consequences of a bored Kakashi Hatake would be. He seriously doubts that Konoha would be prepared for the certain chaos it would entail.

Minato never thought he’d feel so unnerved by such a small child. In his defense, it’s easy to forget that his student is only six years old when so much about Kakashi doesn’t add up.

Speaking of which, that reminds Minato of the recent interaction Kakashi had with one of the Inuzuka’s ninken. It was after he and Kakashi just returned from a mission that had concluded in a rather unusual manner. The assignment itself was only a C-rank, just a simple matter of apprehending a group of bandits that were repeatedly targeting a warehouse in a nearby village.

Unfortunately, a stray exploding tag had somehow detonated on top of several crates that were filled to the brim with dried hot peppers. From there, the pulverized bits of pepper had proceeded to permeate the building in the form of a burning, choking cloud of red dust.

It may have been child’s play to detain the thieves after that, but Minato would have preferred almost any other turn of events considering just a few inadvisable inhales had left him with a painful cough that had lingered for several hours afterward. Well, at least he managed to avoid getting the stinging powder in his eyes for the most part.

The bandits could hardly say the same given that their eyes were still streaming by the time he and Kakashi had trussed them up and dropped them all off with the village head. In contrast, Kakashi had fared remarkably well throughout the ordeal. Minato’s best guess is that his mask was able to serve as a makeshift air filter since he barely seemed perturbed by the entire situation.

The two of them had returned to Konoha, trudging through the village covered head to toe in the excessively spicy powder. The Inuzuka dog, likely agitated by the abrasive smell that must have been emanating from them, had snarled aggressively as they drew near.

Minato was prepared to intervene and offer reassurances to its shinobi partner who was likewise approaching with an irate expression on his face. With luck, Minato would’ve been able to explain the reason for their overbearing scent before things got a little too heated. However, his student beat him to the punch.

However, it turned out that Kakashi’s plan was for some reason to _growl_ back at the dog.

And it wasn’t the _“grrr”_ sound that most people make when imitating a growl. This was a guttural sound from the back of his throat, the noise a predator makes to warn and intimidate. Even with the lower half of Kakashi’s face constantly covered by his mask, Minato would have been willing to bet then that his teeth were bared behind the dark fabric.

To Minato’s astonishment, the approach had actually worked. The formerly incensed ninken seemed to wilt from within, whining and backing away from them as its ears flattened against its head.

Meanwhile, the Inuzuka shinobi had looked down at his partner, his irritation replaced with confusion at the ninken’s reaction. It was at this point where Minato decided it would be prudent for them to make their exit, leaving the scene before the shinobi could redirect his attention back on them.

Kakashi had behaved as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, shrugging matter-of-factly in response to the incredulous look that Minato wasn’t able to hide in time. It wasn’t long before he had dropped all pretenses and was gawking openly at his student as the two of them resumed their now brisk pace down the street.

Evidently taking pity on Minato in that moment, Kakashi proceeded to offer up some justification behind his actions.

“When Sakumo was training his ninken, a lot of them didn’t want to behave at first. So growling back at them was sometimes the most effective way to show them who was in charge. You communicate to them in a language they’re familiar with, the one that comes naturally to them. They’ll take you more seriously from there.”

That explanation seemed quite reasonable at first, but it still became a source of bewilderment much later. Minato would spend not an insignificant amount of time pondering why Kakashi had chosen to refer to his father by his first name before ultimately deciding that he must have been mistaken.

_He had to have misheard him, right?_

With that thought, Minato had shaken his head in agitation. This couldn’t be healthy, having a student who keeps him on his toes like this and leaves him second-guessing everything he does.

Although, that’s not even getting into Kakashi’s father as Minato is still half-convinced that Sakumo Hatake is plotting to kill him or entertaining the notion at the very least. Jiraiya has been trying to convince him otherwise in the meantime, claiming that Sakumo is actually a calm and easy-going person at his core.

Despite his former sensei’s reassurances, Minato isn’t persuaded just yet. The well-being of Sakumo’s only son lies in Minato’s capable if not especially experienced hands, so he’s almost certain that the White Fang will have something particularly unpleasant reserved for him should he make a disastrous mistake in Kakashi’s education.

He doesn’t bother telling Jiraiya any of this though. The Sannin regards Sakumo quite highly even if he is still a bit leery of the man’s son. His opinion certainly hadn’t improved after Minato passed along Kakashi’s message about the baths.

Although, Minato will admit that few people would be pleased with being reminded about the time a very small child caught them in the middle of a blatant lie. At any rate, Jiraiya tends to make himself scarce whenever Kakashi is in the vicinity or mutters under his breath whenever his name is brought up. At this point, Minato just accepts it and tries to refrain from thinking about how strange his life has gotten. He’s typically not successful on that front.

Just a few months ago, Minato was enthusiastic and ready to face whatever life threw at him. Now, he feels as though he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. Minato just doesn’t know if it’s going to come from his student who is far too clever and talented for anyone’s good or from his student’s father who may or may not be waiting for him to make a monumental blunder before ending him.

Forget about thirty, Minato will consider himself lucky if the stress hasn’t caused his entire body to shut down before he’s twenty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Minato, this is only the beginning. But, it won’t always be like this. Kakashi and Sakumo are only testing you for now…
> 
> On a side note, thank you for your patience. I had to do a little traveling, so it was tricky to get back in the rhythm of writing. However, I did find that writing from the perspective of someone who is gradually losing his mind to be quite entertaining.


	11. And sharp inclines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a day off, Kakashi and Sakumo travel in the woods to meet more youkai.

Kakashi would normally be training or out on a mission right about now, but Minato has decided to give him the day off. So he plans on using that free time to take Sakumo out of Konoha and into the forests to meet a few more youkai. 

It’s for more of a practical reason than anything else. Now that Kakashi has a sensei to train and go on missions with, it’ll be much more difficult for him to keep an eye on Sakumo. He’ll be a beacon for hungry youkai, so Kakashi might as well introduce Sakumo to a few of the local ones so they’ll know not to have him as a snack at the very least. 

After all, it would be highly inconvenient if Sakumo got eaten now. 

Meanwhile, Minato will be spending the day with his “not girlfriend” on their “It’s not a date we’re just having lunch together!” Out of all the things to try and conceal, Kakashi just doesn’t understand why Minato seems so insistent to hide his relationship with the red-haired girl. Especially because he’s not doing a very good job of it. 

Maybe it has to do with the girl herself, Kushina Uzumaki. She’s an anomaly among shinobi in ways that don’t include her extremely exuberant temperament and what seems to be an excessive interest in ramen. Because Kushina is most definitely human, but her immense chakra reserves among other things lead Kakashi to suspect that she might have more in common with _him_ than anyone else in the village…

Or maybe the whole charade is something that humans will adopt when they first start to grow fond of each other. And after a while, they’ll just drop the pretense once they’ve decided that they’re tired enough of hiding their affections. Though on second thought, it might also be the result of Minato’s naturally flustered state of mind. 

But for a jōnin sensei, Kakashi supposes that Minato isn’t too bad. He can smell the fear rolling off of him on a daily basis, but Minato does an admirable job of appearing composed in spite of it. He’s intelligent enough to realize that talking down to Kakashi would be unwise, which is definitely a point in his favor. That’s a mistake many other shinobi have made, assuming that Kakashi should behave a certain way due to his supposed age. 

Minato’s lessons themselves are mildly interesting as well. He’s very much out of his depth here, but it hasn’t stopped him from putting a substantial amount of effort into finding new content for his education. So Kakashi wouldn’t say that the arrangement is terrible to say the least. He’s certainly learned a fair bit about shinobi combat tactics and procedures.

And watching Sakumo scare Minato nearly witless is always worthwhile entertainment. He’s adopted the practice of radiating the slightest amount of killing intent during all of his interactions with the youth, claiming that it’s only to ensure that Minato is of a resilient mindset. Nevertheless, Kakashi suspects that Sakumo is enjoying the whole charade a little too much for that. 

________________________

Meanwhile, Sakumo isn’t sure whether or not he should be excited about the day’s excursion as he follows Kakashi’s meandering path through the woods.

Even after more than six years of living with a wolf spirit, Sakumo doesn’t actually know that much about youkai. Kakashi isn’t the type to be forthright with information from the get-go. 

Rather, he prefers to impart knowledge on a need-to-know basis. And Sakumo would respect that preference a little more if that information wasn’t also something that could be highly conducive for his own well-being. 

Because nearly halfway through their hike, Sakumo feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He whirls around to investigate and comes face to face with a veil of white mist that swiftly disperses to reveal Kakashi looming over him in his fully-fledged wolf form. His massive jaws are clamped firmly around a writhing black mass that most closely resembles a cloud of smoke with huge eyes. 

Kakashi bites down forcefully, giving his head a violent shake as entity thrashes about in a futile attempt to free itself. Sakumo hears the other youkai let out an agonized cry before it finally dissipates into a swarm of ink-colored butterflies that scatter harmlessly throughout the trees. The wolf spirit spits out several insects from its mouth with an expression of disgust before transforming back into a masked silver-haired boy.

“Just give them a punch, huh?” Sakumo remarks dryly as the wisps of smoke gradually disappear in the sunlight. 

“So ones like those are little more troublesome,” Kakashi admits. “It would’ve tried to possess you in order to feed on your negative memories and consume your sadness. I wasn’t interested in taking the time to deal with that.”

And now Sakumo is actually quite grateful for Kakashi’s preventative measure despite his previous sarcastic comment. “Well, thank you regardless,” he replies seriously. 

He does mean it. Sakumo has been doing well for the past few years, but he’s certainly no stranger to dark thoughts. Between the Second Shinobi War and the tragic deaths that had precipitated his first meeting with Kakashi, that black fog youkai could’ve easily had itself a feast with all the low points he’s hit throughout his life. 

“Save your thanks,” Kakashi sniffs dismissively. “It would’ve been a pain to deal with otherwise.” 

Kakashi frequently says these things, but Sakumo is fairly confident that the youkai is not nearly as indifferent as he claims to be. Especially because at their first meeting, Kakashi had admitted to feeling sorrow over the Hatake clan’s near extinction and agreed to remain out of pity for him. 

Moreover, he’s still here years later. And even though Kakashi does have something to gain through this arrangement, Sakumo has trouble believing that the youkai would’ve stuck by his side for this long if self-interest was his primary source of motivation. 

All in all, the encounter also proved itself to be quite enlightening in spite of how indisputably unnerving that sentient smoke cloud was. At the very least, Sakumo now knows that some youkai will feed off of human emotions rather than flesh. 

Although that’s not to say that all spirits are ravenous beings. From what Kakashi has mentioned, there are also plenty of spirits that don’t eat humans at all and many that pose no harm to anyone whatsoever. 

On the other hand, this outing happens to be an occasion that Kakashi was looking forward to. He’s no stranger to putting on a façade, especially after his time in Konoha, but an opportunity where he doesn’t have to pretend to be a human will always be welcome. 

Today is his chance to be another youkai and drink alongside the others like usual. As Kakashi and Sakumo draw closer, it’s clear that someone managed to get their hands on a few casks of high-quality sake. By the looks of it, the other youkai seem to be around halfway through the first one already.

This is the first gathering that Kakashi has attended since his arrival in Konoha. But given that few appear to be terribly shocked by his human disguise, he guesses that Benio must have filled the others in after they met during that mission in Iwa. However, there are still remarks of surprise, and to say that Hinoe is baffled by his decision would be an understatement. 

“If you were going to take a different form in the first place, why couldn’t you have chosen to look like a woman?” 

Kakashi elects to not dignify that comment with a response and takes a seat around the circle instead. Trailing after him somewhat awkwardly, Sakumo does the same. 

While Kakashi takes sips of his sake and engages in small talk with the other youkai, Sakumo regards his own cup with apprehension.

Thankfully, Kakashi quickly supplies him with the answer to his unvoiced questions. 

“That’s safe for you to drink. And no you won’t be beholden to a youkai just because you consumed food or drink they’ve offered.”

Sakumo takes a reserved sip in response. While the Junmai sake is quite nice, he’d much rather keep a clear head at the moment. The odd collection of individuals present makes the situation bizarre enough without the influence of alcohol.

There’s a green-skinned creature that can only be a kappa with its turtle shell and water-filled disk on its head. The two youkai that Kakashi refers to as the mid-ranks are what looks to be an ox-like creature and another spirit with a single eye and a horn protruding from the center of its forehead. Both are dressed in dark gray kimonos and appear to be relatively mild-mannered. Another youkai in a green kimono has a disproportionally massive head that’s almost as large as the rest of his body. His face almost reminds Sakumo of a mask due to its huge eyes, mustache, and exaggerated features. 

Those spirits are in stark contrast to the youkai with much more human guises such as Benio who Sakumo recognizes from their previous encounter. Hinoe, the youkai who had ribbed Kakashi when they had first arrived, appears as a beautiful woman dressed in an ornately colored kimono with dark blue hair that falls over her right eye.

The atmosphere is relaxed throughout this get-together with the youkai engaging in a number of different conversations and forms of chitchat. 

But it’s Hinoe who brings up a topic that draws everyone’s attention. 

“Oh, have you heard? There’s an exorcist that’s been poking around. What a bothersome little thing.”

“Really now?” Kakashi inquires, an intrigued glint appearing in his eyes.

This subject piques Sakumo’s interest as well. As with most aspects of the youkai world, he only knows the bare minimum when it comes to exorcists. Kakashi had merely explained that they were humans who possessed enough spiritual ability to seal away, bind, or banish youkai. 

“Looks to be one that’s not aligned with any clan,” the one-eyed mid-rank pipes in.

“Meaning that he must be dreadfully incompetent if nobody wanted him,” Benio clarifies in response to Sakumo’s curious expression. 

“Humans with enough spiritual power to perceive youkai are few and far between. Exorcist clans will usually snap up anyone unaffiliated if they have enough ability. The fact that this one is still roaming around on his own suggests that there was some disqualifying factor that discouraged the major clans from recruiting him.”

“I’d say it’s arrogance,” the other mid-rank offers. “He’s trampling around the area like he owns the place although I doubt he could even seal away a fly. So we’ve all been steering clear for now.”

Sakumo frowns. “Why bother keeping your distance if that exorcist won’t be able to do you any harm?”

The youkai all look slightly surprised by his query, but none seem to take offense to it.

“It’s primarily because exorcists tend to run in the same circles,” explains Hinoe. “If he were to get wind of us, he might always try and send word to the stronger clans. We can’t risk them getting involved, so we’ve decided to keep our distance for the time being. After all, the more powerful exorcists could actually find a way to do us injury.” 

As the other youkai murmur in agreement, Kakashi suddenly fixes Sakumo with a knowing smirk.

“I have an idea as to what we could do for the rest of the day.” 

Sakumo doesn’t know how he should feel about the expression he can see on the visible half of Kakashi’s face. 

“Let’s go look for this exorcist. It’s always been my opinion that time used for crushing imbeciles is always well spent.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Dog’s Circle has a small exorcist problem that needs taking care of…


	12. Where twisting through the thorn-thick underbrush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakumo takes a deeper dive into the world of youkai.

The two of them depart soon after that pronouncement, but not before Kakashi leaves the assembled youkai with a message that essentially conveys that none of them, in any circumstance, are to eat Sakumo. 

As they make the trek on over to where the mid-ranks reported last seeing the interloper, Kakashi sees fit to provide a more in-depth lesson on exorcists and what specifically it is that they do. 

“Exorcists,” Kakashi begins as they make their way across an overgrown field, “are not just humans with the spiritual power to perceive youkai, they are individuals who have dedicated themselves to combating spirits.”

“And those would specifically be the youkai that are harmful to humans.” Sakumo phrases this statement more like a question. 

Kakashi pauses for a moment to think. “More or less,” he finally responds. 

“Plenty of youkai prefer to keep to themselves, but there are certainly far more malicious spirits out there. The Mushikui, the one we ran into earlier that fed off of negative emotions, represents only one of the ways a youkai could bring detriment to a human. Most commonly, spirits will eat humans for sustenance. However, some youkai are capable of placing curses upon or even possessing the bodies of unsuspecting humans.”

Sakumo doesn’t answer, instead pondering this new information. Kakashi takes his silence as an invitation to carry on as he kicks away a particularly large stone in their path. 

“Exorcists can take a variety of approaches when it comes to dealing with youkai. Usually, it depends on their own ability and how powerful the spirit is. But they may seal a youkai away in something like a well, urn, or statue to prevent it from hurting anyone. Some might purify or place wards over an area to banish spirits or prevent them from entering a particular place. And the more powerful ones will even go as far as to destroy a youkai entirely.” 

Kakashi scowls slightly at this, although Sakumo supposes that he shouldn’t find this apparent animosity terribly surprising. Speaking about the techniques utilized against his brethren is probably a grating topic for him. 

Still, Sakumo wants to learn more about this world that he’s lingered on the edge of for so long. 

So he raises his next question as carefully as he can manage. “From what you say, it seems as though individuals with spiritual power could go most of their lives without encountering a malicious spirit. What motivates those people to make the jump to become an exorcist then?"

The wolf spirit seems to grow contemplative at this, considering his words before responding. “Well like shinobi, exorcists also have clans. They’re actually quite similar in that regard and are just about as pleasant to deal with.”

Sakumo lets out a wry chuckle at this. He can hardly claim that being a clan of one, technically two now, doesn’t come with its benefits. On his own, there’s no need to worry about propriety or constantly shout down the old guard. Sakumo has the autonomy of a free agent but also the foundations and resources that his ancestors have created and added to throughout the years. 

Clans undoubtedly provide support and solidarity, but it’s often at the cost of personal independence. Sakumo wonders absentmindedly if exorcist clans face similar issues before swiftly turning his attention back to Kakashi’s explanation. 

“Spiritual power typically runs through families a bit like a somewhat unpredictable kekkei genkai, so many exorcists are actually born into the role. But the ability is also known to spring up much more randomly across general members of the population. Never among shinobi.” 

Kakashi glances at Sakumo out of the corner of his eye. “Well almost never,” he amends. 

“Why is that?” Sakumo asks, despite knowing that this question could take them well off-topic. 

He receives a half-hearted shrug from Kakashi. “I would say it’s simply due to chakra. My guess is that chakra and spiritual power are essentially competing senses in which overuse of one greatly diminishes the capacity of the other. But obviously exceptions happen, I suppose.”

“Anyway,” Kakashi fortunately decides to bring the conversation back on track. “For humans without the protection of a clan, their motivations may simply arise from self-preservation. Any person with a large amount of spiritual power has a tendency to attract spirits to them, both benign and destructive. And if such humans aren’t born in a clan, the ability to see spirits can cause them to become shunned in their own communities. 

Perceiving things that no one else can is not an ability that’s ever been received well by others. As a result, those humans are frequently labeled as either liars or lunatics. So they begin to blame and resent the spirits they see for their plight because they could otherwise be normal people if it weren’t for the youkai around them.”

Watching Kakashi as he says this, Sakumo gets the impression that he’s speaking from experience. It leads him to suspect that the wolf spirit has personally seen these very same events play out for a number of humans who were both gifted and unfortunate enough to see youkai. He knows that Kakashi’s first encounter with shinobi was when he met the Hatake clan, but Sakumo wonders if there were other humans he came to know long before that. 

There’s no use dwelling on that, however. If there’s anything that Kakashi isn’t inclined to discuss, it’s his past. Although Sakumo doesn’t believe this aversion is due to unpleasant memories or anything of that sort. Kakashi just isn’t the type that enjoys sharing details about himself. Throughout the years, Sakumo has learned that the best method of obtaining any information at all is to wait for when Kakashi is in a talkative mood. 

“Is that what it is? Do exorcists just view youkai as the enemy?” 

“Not necessarily,” Kakashi responds. “It’s more that they strongly dislike what they cannot control. Exorcists are perfectly content to utilize youkai as servants after all. Such spirits, called shiki, will pledge themselves to exorcists for a variety of reasons. 

Some youkai will come to regard certain exorcists quite highly and dedicate their existence to them. Others may simply agree to be bound into service simply because it provides them protection from other youkai or exorcists” 

Sakumo ducks under a low hanging tree branch. “That’s not what our arrangement is, is it?”

He highly doubts that Kakashi could ever be convinced into becoming any human’s shiki, but Sakumo would still like confirmation that he isn’t inadvertently keeping the wolf spirit here against his will. 

“Hardly,” Kakashi snorts in amusement. “As if you could ever order me around. No, this is a nonbinding alliance. Our deal is based on word alone. Granted, the vast majority of youkai are not inclined to go back on their word anyway.”

Although a part of Sakumo wants to thank Kakashi for staying with him regardless, the more pragmatic voice in his head tells him that the youkai would appreciate levity instead. After all, Kakashi seems to be allergic to any form of sensitive emotion.

“Figures that you’d never stand to be anyone’s lapdog.”

“You’ve got that right,” Kakashi confirms with a smirk. “I’m far above the paygrade of most exorcists out there. Unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent them from being as irritating as they are.”

Kakashi suddenly stops in his tracks, scowling as he gestures towards the other side of the hill. “Case in point, I believe the fool we’re seeking out is just up ahead.”

Despite the other youkai’s claims of the exorcist’s incompetence, Sakumo is still extremely underwhelmed by him. He’s honestly not sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. 

Because it turns out that the exorcist they were looking for is simply a gangly, nondescript youth looking to be around seventeen years in age. He’s dressed in civilian clothes but seems to lack a cohesive sense of fashion for the most part. Shinobi are often known for their odd sense of dress, but this boy’s decision to pair such an overly long coat with knee-length pants and heavy boots comes across as an especially misguided choice. 

Still, this unfortunate state of dress has seemingly done little to impede the exorcist’s self-assured gait. And even without taking into account the disparaging comments made by Kakashi’s youkai acquaintances, Sakumo has seen enough pompous dimwits to know that the kid’s sense of confidence is far from justified. 

Kakashi hadn’t mentioned his strategy for confronting the exorcist on their way over, so Sakumo just trails after him to see what he’ll do. But to his surprise, Kakashi merely walks forward until the two of them are well within the exorcist’s line of sight. 

The youth looks utterly bewildered by their presence, leading Sakumo to wonder if he even recognizes them as shinobi. The three of them stare at each other intently for a moment before Kakashi gives a matter-of-fact shrug. 

There’s a sudden puff of swirling mist, and a fifteen-foot tall wolf stalks menacingly towards the exorcist. The boy lets out a startled yelp as Kakashi bares his teeth in a snarl. Those cries quickly turn into whimpers after he narrowly avoids a vicious swipe from the youkai’s massive claws. Barely remaining on his feet, the exorcist nearly loses his left leg to snapping jaws. 

It’s at this point where Sakumo decides to intervene. Before Kakashi can get too carried away, he darts behind the terrified teen and knocks him out cold with a swift jab to the back of his head.

Kakashi seems slightly letdown at having his entertainment end so soon but otherwise doesn’t find many complaints with his actions as he transforms back into his human guise. 

“So what now?” Sakumo puts forth this question cautiously, slightly wary of what Kakashi will propose. 

“I say we kill him,” Kakashi responds in all seriousness. “That’s been my policy for dealing with exorcists so far.”

“I hardly think the situation calls for that here.” Sakumo gestures towards the youth’s unconscious form. “Look how young he is.”

Kakashi gives him an unimpressed stare. “I honestly don’t care in the slightest about his age. Because I would never get to kill anybody if I thought like that.”

“There are other options though,” Sakumo points out, hoping he can convince Kakashi. “If you eat him, there’s always the possibility that other exorcists will come looking. But if he’s alive and only frightened, the others would just assume that he’s cowardly in addition to being incompetent.”

“Fair enough,” Kakashi concedes in a bored voice. “But let’s take his things. If he wakes up without his possessions, he’ll probably think that this was only an elaborate plot carried out by bandits.” 

Sakumo doesn’t argue with this, primarily because it’s a reasonable line of thinking. He begins rifling through the exorcist’s pockets and pack while Kakashi offers his input on what items he should take. Despite the youth’s ineptitude, he turns out to be rather well equipped for the outing. 

“Keep those seals,” the youkai instructs. “Those are for purification. They might come in handy.” 

“What’s this?” Sakumo muses, holding up a white hat with a pale orange ribbon tied at the base. “It doesn’t look like this belonged to the kid.”

He hands the hat over to Kakashi who lifts it to his mask-covered nose and gives it a sniff. “It didn’t,” Kakashi confirms. “A youkai has handled this very recently. I’d say this was in a spirit’s possession for a good while and that the exorcist likely took this away from it.”

“Do you think that youkai is far from here?” Sakumo asks, curious to hear his response. 

Kakashi shakes his head. “No, it’s actually fairly close by. Just several miles to the southeast of where we are.”

He frowns. “Why do you ask?”

“Let’s return it then,” Sakumo suggests in lieu of a direct answer, turning around to head in that direction before the youkai can raise any protests. 

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Kakashi follows after Sakumo’s retreating back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you familiar with Natsume’s Book of Friends, they’ll be meeting a little friend soon…


	13. Scratched and exhausted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakumo makes a new friend on this very informative day.

Even though Kakashi is quite disgruntled at finding himself undertaking such a task, he still leads Sakumo over to where he had detected the hat’s owner. Albeit he’s grumbling under his breath for most of the walk, but Sakumo wouldn’t expect anything less. 

The two come to a stop at a small clearing in the forest that’s bordered by trees on all sides. Sakumo scans the area, puzzled at not finding anybody else here. He shoots a questioning look at Kakashi who in turn lets out a long-suffering sigh.

“You can come out now,” Kakashi addresses in a bored voice to what seems to only be empty air.

For a long moment, it appears as if his words have failed to elicit any kind of response, but a small face peeks out from behind a wide tree trunk several seconds after that. 

It’s a young boy who looks like he’s no older than seven with dark blond hair reaching his shoulders. Dressed in a rust-brown kimono, he watches the two of them nervously with wide brown eyes. A pair of fox ears peek out from underneath his hair while a brownish-orange tail swishes behind him in an anxious rhythm. 

Sakumo has personally witnessed the wide array of forms that a spirit can take. There are ones that appear as attractive humans and ones that adopt far more grotesque guises. Some youkai, like Kakashi, are massive and bestial in form whereas others will come across as a hybrid of human and animal in regard to appearance. 

Throughout the years, Sakumo has seen a giant pink owl-like creature, a masked spirit with an overly long neck twisting itself into loops, a humanoid youkai with black voids in its face where eyes should’ve been, and a spirit that resembled a seven-foot-tall pile of white fur wearing a blank white mask. 

But this youkai is possibly one of the most endearing ones he’s encountered so far. 

Tired of waiting, Kakashi breaks the silence with a sound of impatience and nods his head in Sakumo’s direction. “He’s got something for you.” 

Sakumo reaches into his pack and pulls out the hat, kneeling on the ground so he can hand it over to the fox spirit. “I was informed that this belonged to you.”

The boy’s face lights up in an instant, all previous signs of fear vanishing. 

“You got it back!” he cries, clapping his hands together in delight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The fox boy takes the hat from him and holds it tightly to his chest. “I thought I would never see it again!” he squeals, bouncing up and down in his enthusiasm. 

“How did you lose your hat?” Sakumo asks, smiling instinctively at him as he gets to his feet. It’s difficult not to when the youkai acts just the way an excitable child would. 

“It was that exorcist!” The fox spirit answers him without any hesitation. “He kept looking around for youkai, so I ran and hid. But I didn’t have enough time to grab all of my things though. I left it on the ground, and I saw him take it.”

“But…” the boy muses, almost to himself. “You were able to get it back. So you must’ve beat him in a fight for it,” he reasons. 

“Wow, you must be strong!” he exclaims, his voice filled with amazement. 

Sakumo’s a little surprised by the admiration, but exorcists are undoubtedly a significant threat to youkai. He supposes that anyone capable of besting one would seem quite formidable in their eyes.

“Anyway, we don’t have to hide now that the exorcist has been defeated, and I can go back to my favorite places!” the boy exclaims happily. “Oh, I can show them to you! Do you want to see them?” he asks, turning to Sakumo with shining eyes. 

The look on Kakashi’s face suggests that he’s not interested in the slightest, but he otherwise doesn’t show any other signs of protest. 

Sakumo readily agrees, and the fox spirit cheerfully grabs his hand, leading him forward while Kakashi trails silently behind them. The boy takes them around the area, pointing out the trees he likes to climb and his favorite rocks to relax on. And it’s during this tour that Sakumo takes the opportunity to formally introduce himself and Kakashi. He’s not entirely sure that the fox boy fully understands what a shinobi is though.

The little fox has just finished showing them the stream where he catches most of his fish when they hear a rustle in the bushes to their left. All three of them turn towards the sound as one.

The source of the noise is two youkai who look remarkably like the mid-ranks he and Kakashi were drinking with this morning. However, the one that looks like an ox has dark green skin instead, and this one-eyed one is bright orange in color. And while the spirits Sakumo met earlier were quite genial in disposition, these two appear to be far more bad-tempered.

“What are you doing, talking to humans like that?” The green one jeers at the boy. “What a sorry excuse of a youkai you are!” the other chimes in. 

Sakumo is facing the little fox, so he sees the look of irritation that flickers across his small face as his eyes dart towards a small stone lying on the ground within arm’s reach.

But Kakashi reacts first. In a flash, he’s before the two spirits, towering over them in his wolf form. In the next second, he’s seized the now terrified one-eyed spirit in his jaws. With a forceful shake of his head, Kakashi flings the orange youkai into the ox-like one with startling speed. 

Both spirits are sent flying from the impact, crashing and tumbling over each other into the underbrush. There’s a brief moment of silence before Sakumo hears the two let out a collective scream that gradually grows quieter in volume as they presumably scurry in the opposite direction as fast as possible. 

The boy’s eyes are shining in wonder as Kakashi shifts back into human form, but the spirit pays him no attention. 

“I found them irritating,” Kakashi offers as an explanation. However, his words do little to diminish the fox spirit’s awe. 

“Are you doing okay on your own?” Sakumo asks in a concerned voice, now wondering if the other youkai’s heckling is a common occurrence.

The little fox turns his focus back onto Sakumo. “I’m fine!” he reassures him earnestly. “I usually mind my own business and chase away the mid-levels every now and then when they’re being annoying. But what he did will probably make them stay away for a while!” 

Sakumo smiles back at him. That’s good to hear. But if you’re ever having any trouble you can always look to me for help.”

What if I’m not in any trouble?” the fox spirit asks, his eyes looking both hesitant and hopeful. 

“You can come and see us anytime you’d like,” Sakumo tells him sincerely. “I might be out on a mission or busy, but I’d still be happy to see you if you catch me while I’m in the village. And if I’m in the area, I’ll try to stop by.”

Behind him, Kakashi lets out a long sigh of exasperation.

The little fox beams. “Okay, I should get going now. I’ll see you soon!” He scampers away, turning and waving as he departs.

Sakumo waves back until the boy has disappeared from their sight. 

And with that, he and Kakashi begin to head back towards Konoha. 

They’re a few miles out when Sakumo realizes that he doesn’t know what to call the boy. The fox spirit either doesn’t have a name or isn’t intent on sharing it. But from what Sakumo has gathered throughout his various interactions with spirits, neither possibility would be particularly unusual. Kakashi had previously mentioned this in passing, that you could be on friendly terms with another spirit for decades and never learn their name. On the flip side, other youkai might only be reluctant to reveal their names to those they consider unfamiliar. 

When Sakumo asked why, Kakashi had only responded cryptically with “names hold power,” and left it at that. But judging from how open the fox spirit seemed, Sakumo is inclined to think that he is one of the many youkai who are nameless. 

Because despite his obvious vulpine features, there was nothing foxlike about his demeanor. One might expect a fox spirit to be cunning, deceitful, or mischievous, but this boy had been nothing but sincere and trusting. 

After scarcely saying a word in the past hour, Kakashi finally speaks up. “What was that?”

“What are you talking about? I can’t be friendly every now and then?” Sakumo retorts in a lighthearted tone. 

But instead of answering, Kakashi turns his head to look off in the direction where they had left the little fox. Curiously enough, his expression isn’t one of irritation. Instead, it’s one that’s tinged with concern. Still, Sakumo struggles to imagine what on earth could possibly have Kakashi worried. 

He fixes his eyes on the wolf spirit, expecting him to say something. But Kakashi continues onward, his eyes impassive. 

“Never mind, it’s nothing,” he finally says in response to Sakumo’s staring. “I would just recommend for you to refrain from taking in every odd youkai that you happen to meet.”

While it might be tempting to assume that Kakashi is simply in a sullen or even possessive mood, Sakumo is well aware that there are a number of reasons why it would be advisable for him to limit the number of youkai he comes in contact with. From what Sakumo has personally observed and from what Kakashi has told him, youkai tend to congregate in the same areas. Accordingly, a lone spirit in a location will usually attract a number of others before long. And this includes both harmless and deadly ones. 

Given that Sakumo spends most of his time residing in Konoha, he really shouldn’t make a habit of encouraging youkai to come and visit him. Even though Kakashi is certain that almost all shinobi are incapable of even perceiving spirits, that’s not a stance he’s eager to test. Because even if they were to remain unseen, that could still very well spell trouble for a number of parties down the line. Especially since not all youkai are accustomed to being near humans, and any resulting incidents might always incite exorcists to investigate. 

Conveniently, these issues aren’t ones that apply to Kakashi. As a youkai, his situation is unique in that he’s powerful enough to handle exorcists and to discourage most unfamiliar youkai from approaching. And Kakashi has been living amongst humans for quite a while now. Sakumo wouldn’t say that he’s blending in or being subtle about it, but he’s certainly demonstrated that he is aware of what he can and can’t get away with. After all, no one in Konoha has the slightest suspicion that Kakashi isn’t actually human. 

At this point, Sakumo could simply agree and acknowledge Kakashi’s suggestion. But because he can’t resist the urge, he quips back. 

“Good thing I’ve decided to stop after you.”

The affronted expression on Kakashi’s face is a sight Sakumo will treasure for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No shortage of youkai in the last few chapters, but we’ll be returning to the land of Naruto soon!


	14. One turns suddenly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for Kakashi to address the issue of the other children in the village.

Up until this point, the overwhelming majority of Kakashi’s time in Konoha has been spent solely in the company of Sakumo. First and foremost, this was in accordance with his agreed-upon objective of acting as support to and ensuring the safety of the last member of the Hatake clan. And for the seven years that he’s been Kakashi Hatake, this practice was conveniently one that also seemed reasonable to the rest of the village as well. 

Human young tend to naturally remain in close proximity to their parents, especially in the earliest years after birth. Once a few years have passed, they’ll grow more comfortable with venturing out and intermingling with others outside of their close family members. But as a prodigy, Kakashi was so far beyond the other children in Konoha. So, remaining by his apparent father’s side for a longer period was a perfectly understandable habit when no one else could match his accelerated development. 

After all, he was an adept shinobi at a time when other five-year-olds were still learning how to read. It was the clear and logical course of action for Kakashi to almost exclusively interact with those he was on par with, and that happened to be the village’s shinobi population. 

At least, those were the conclusions that the people of Konoha could draw given the information that was available to him. That Kakashi was actually a powerful wolf spirit simply wasn’t a plausible notion that anyone had the capacity to entertain or even come up with out of the blue. 

Anyway, the point was that there was little need for Kakashi to even be around children during his first few years in the village. His unprecedented talent and skill had attracted enough attention from the adults as it was. But now, it seems that the little ones of Konoha have been growing in their awareness of the world outside of their immediate needs. 

The children, many of whom are now attending the Academy, have also been exploring and seeking out the company of those they like and those that fascinate them. And as it turns out, several seem to be specifically interested in _him._

This little collection of students are mostly present during the times in which he trains alone as they tend to make themselves scarce whenever he’s out with Minato or Sakumo. He suspects that approaching too close to a trained jōnin comes across as an extremely daunting prospect for them. Kakashi chuckles to himself at that thought. If only they knew that the boy they were so interested in was actually the most dangerous being in the picture…

Kakashi hasn’t taken upon himself to determine the identities of his followers, especially as there appears to be quite a few of them. It’s not always the same children each time, and some have only stopped by for one quick peek and haven’t returned since then. But he’s gathered that there are at least two or three regular ones who make a habit of stopping by. 

Normally he would be far more irritated by the persistent spying, but Kakashi supposes this is an indicator that he should probably be socializing more with his peers. Or rather, socializing with the tiny creatures that would be his peers if he was actually the age he was currently claiming to be.

He knew that this was a task that he’d be expected to undertake sooner or later. After all, it would’ve looked odd if Kakashi never interacted with anyone else besides Sakumo or Minato. The Academy would’ve been the ideal time for acquainting himself to others, but Kakashi simply didn’t have the patience for such an ordeal. So, now he’s in a bit of an awkward spot where most of the seven-year-olds in the village are already familiar with one another. 

Kakashi and Sakumo had hoped that children would begin to introduce themselves to him considering that humans will typically approach each other openly at that age. However, his reputation appears to have kept them at a distance despite their obvious interest in him. Instead of acquaintances, Kakashi has attracted a small group of admirers. And that’s not exactly conducive towards his goal of passing as another human. 

He needs to be seen as one of them, not someone to fawn over. Because such followers are not only tiresome but often observant as well. While Kakashi has no intention to slip up in front of them now, concealing his true nature might not be as simple in the future. If they’re consistently watching and regarding him as someone different and exceptional, that increases the chances that one of them will notice and fixate on something that he doesn’t want them to.

Under the shade of a large tree, Kakashi is untangling his shinobi wire on the very edge of the Hatake clan grounds when he hears a telltale rustle emanating from the underbrush. For the third time that evening, he once again resists the urge to look in the direction that he knows the children are hiding. They’re honestly doing a dreadful job of going unnoticed. 

Even if Kakashi had the hearing of a normal human, he wouldn’t have been able to miss them. Still pretending to be unaware of his audience, Kakashi mentally notes that this is the closest that his watchers have dared to get thus far. In fact, they are dangerously close to encroaching on clan territory.

_Should he acknowledge them? Is inviting your stalkers in for tea the polite thing to do?_

Then again, Kakashi still doesn’t have a firm grasp of the intricacies of human manners either. He finds these rules of social interaction to be both tiring and far too complex for his liking. Kakashi ultimately decides to leave them be for now, packing up the rest of his supplies before heading home for the night. 

Not entirely certain as to how to proceed, he ends up posing those very same questions to Sakumo the next morning. 

Upon hearing this, Sakumo chokes slightly on his tea from what seems to be both surprise and amusement before responding.

“Normally, the answer to whether or not you should acknowledge a stalker is always a resounding no.” He carefully wipes down the rim of his cup with a cloth napkin. “But since they’re only children, their interest is innocent.”

Sakumo looks thoughtful as he begins to mop up the tea he spilled on the surface of the table. “Since you aren’t attending the Academy with them, I would say that this is a convenient opportunity for you to integrate yourself into their friend group. Although, I am a little concerned that they might be frightened away if you aren’t careful about how you approach them. Personally, I think that you should really have a few friends your age.” 

Kakashi lets out a derisive snort at that. “They’re closer in age to you than me.” 

“You know what I mean,” Sakumo replies, now looking as though he’s trying to suppress a laugh. 

The youkai only shoots him a disgruntled look in response. Sakumo is showing no outward expression, but Kakashi knows that he’s snickering internally, picturing him struggling to get along with small children. Truthfully, Kakashi isn’t particularly looking forward to it himself. 

Either way, Sakumo has a point. Kakashi has to decide what to do about his little group of followers. Whether he befriends them or chases them away, he needs to make sure that they don’t continue to spy on him. And while part of Kakashi would rather keep his association with humans to a minimum, he still acknowledges that connections will be invaluable if he’s going to remain in Konoha long term. 

But before he even bothers to learn any names, he needs to determine whether or not these little humans are worth getting to know. 

So he begins to train away from the clan compound at less shut off areas, where any observers can conceal their presence easily. Or at least children who know very little about covertness can hide in the bushes and naïvely assume that no one will know that they’re there. Although, even an experienced shinobi specializing in espionage wouldn’t have been able to escape Kakashi’s notice. 

In a very accessible clearing, Kakashi settles into a forward stance and begins to generate a small mass of lightning between his palms. The crackling electricity churns, spilling from his hands out in front of him where it twists and coalesces to form an entity that strongly resembles a wolf. 

The blindingly white creature charges directly at a nearby tree on his command, tearing into the bark of the trunk which explodes in a shower of splinters. Approaching the tree, Kakashi allows the lightning construct to dissipate in order to better appraise the resulting damage. As he does so, he hears several gasps of surprise and awe originating from the other side of the clearing. 

Although Kakashi can’t deny that the unique abilities of shinobi have their appeal, there’s something to be said about physical combat. Sakumo seems to hold a similar opinion given his inclination towards his specialized tanto. Still, a part of Kakashi has come to prefer the simplicity of a kunai. Slashing precise cuts through his opponents with a small handheld weapon has turned out to be an adequate substitute for his lack of claws in human form. 

However, he’s yet to find a method of attack that brings the same sense of satisfaction that accompanies biting down on a cowering enemy’s body and flinging them dozens of feet away. There’s no shortage of time, but Kakashi suspects that some things just can’t be achieved when he’s in a form as small as this one. 

After around a week of essentially training for show, Kakashi has been able to obtain a much better idea of who these children are. Multiple ones have stopped by, but there are three who seem to make it a point to watch him train.

The first, and by far the most conspicuous, is a child he actually recognizes. It’s Gai, a boy in a green jumpsuit with choppy black hair that’s been cut just past his chin. Awhile back, Sakumo and Kakashi had crossed paths with the boy and his father, Dai. Sakumo had stopped to chat with Dai, but Kakashi hadn’t paid much attention then. From what he can remember, Gai had been dejected due to not passing the Academy’s entrance exam. 

Unsurprisingly, Gai does a terrible job of hiding himself whenever he’s watching Kakashi. He typically observes for a few moments before charging off in enthusiasm, trampling loudly and conspicuously through the woods. However, Gai’s movements do appear to be growing more controlled and refined as of late. Perhaps he’s made it into the Academy after all. 

The other two children tend to come together. One is a brown-haired girl with purple rectangular markings on either side of her face. She’s probably the most inobtrusive of his watchers, yet she also seems to be the most elated at seeing him train. It’s considerably odd, but that is what Kakashi has been able to ascertain.

Then there’s the blundering one who always seems to be wearing the same pair of hideously orange goggles. He’s certainly an Uchiha, the clan symbol on the back of his shirt makes that clear as day. Still, Kakashi has never witnessed anyone who behaves less like the model of the traditional Uchiha. 

While its clan members have a reputation for haughtiness, this boy appears to be earnest and immature. The Uchiha are famed and feared for their prestigious combat ability and powerful dōjutsu, but Kakashi has an inkling that this boy is more likely to trip over his own feet before he could even throw a halfway decent punch. 

All in all, these last few days of casual information gathering have taught Kakashi that the children who are the most intrigued by him appear to be rather strange characters in their own right.

For humans, they don’t seem too terrible.

Kakashi won’t approach them just yet though. He’ll wait until the three of them have a little more training under their belt.

Maybe when they’re a little closer to graduating, but they’ll do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone else, Kakashi is a prodigy who’s surpassed all limits, and he has a famed war hero for a father. No wonder all the children are interested in him…


	15. To find an unexpected waterfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unbeknownst to Minato, he has a rather close brush to the world of youkai.

Minato would almost say that he’s reached a lull amid the chaos. Although in his case, the chaos he’s referring to is actually the excessive amount of anxiety that Kakashi and Sakumo Hatake have managed to bring him. But at this point, he’s slightly more confident that this arrangement will not end in a massive disaster. 

It’s not that the two were even hostile before, but he feels less like he’s waiting for a sword to drop over his head every single time he interacts with them. Or maybe Sakumo is still planning on killing him, and he’s simply grown desensitized to the prospect by now. Either way, Minato feels better about the whole ordeal which is probably the best he could’ve ever hoped for. 

However, the odd behavior hasn’t stopped, and Minato certainly hadn’t expected it to. He suspects that the strangeness is a core tenet of Kakashi’s and Sakumo’s personalities. In fact, Minato wants to say that the absurdity has actually increased. He could honestly make a list of everything that’s not quite right with Kakashi. 

And one could certainly make the argument that Minato is hardly being fair to his student. It’s common knowledge that shinobi tend to have eccentric personalities as a result of the stressful and dangerous lifestyles they lead. Minato had Jiraiya as a sensei, so he’s well aware of the kinds of unusual quirks that can spring up over time.

But Kakashi is quite young, and so far all signs point to him having always been this way. 

At the very least, Minato feels that his student respects him to a certain extent now. Again, not that there was any behavior to indicate otherwise before now, but the sense of unease he used to get has diminished significantly as of late. 

Kakashi still has an unfailing ability to catch him off guard, usually by saying the last thing Minato expects him to. Sometimes, Kakashi will answer a question with a bizarre response said in all seriousness. Other times, he might make an excessively blunt comment to someone who doesn’t welcome it in the slightest. Sometimes, it’s a combination of all of the above. 

And it’s because of this, Kakashi’s penchant for rubbing people the wrong way, that has limited the pool of shinobi that Minato is willing to run training exercises with. Early on, he’d recruited several young chūnin in order to simulate a battle with uneven numbers. The session had played out reasonably well, but Kakashi saw fit to leave one of the chūnin with a little piece of advice at the end.

“You should hold off on trying to fight with your chigiriki until you’ve at least gotten the basics down. You’re really just a liability in this state,” he commented matter-of-factly, either oblivious to or uncaring of how the other boy’s ears were turning an impressive shade of crimson. 

Granted, Minato considered Kakashi’s assessment to be quite accurate. He had personally noted no fewer than five instances where the chūnin narrowly missed hitting himself in the head with the weighted chain of his weapon. But it was clear that the youth hardly appreciated receiving such candid criticism, especially from someone who had to be at least six years younger than him. Minato suspects that the advice would’ve engendered much less rage had it come from a jōnin such as himself. 

One way or another, the field exercise had ended with him physically holding the enraged chūnin back from lunging at his student. And Minato had no illusions as to which party he was benefiting given that Kakashi had been watching the events unfold with what looked like an amused glint in his eye. From there on, Minato had elected to only include agreeable jōnin in their training exercises. He could at least count on them to be more level-headed than freshly minted chūnin. 

But even when Minato isn’t worrying about the possibility of Kakashi angering a short-tempered shinobi, his student still manages to bewilder him at nearly every opportunity. 

Shortly after he had been appointed as Kakashi’s sensei, they had been undergoing a combat simulation Minato developed in which he requested several jōnin to conceal themselves around the training ground. He’d asked Kakashi where their opponents were likely to be hiding, expecting him to reason out the most strategic positions for any enemy to be.

Instead, Kakashi had responded with their exact locations. “There’s one around a hundred yards southeast from us on the other side of the river. Another is in that tree thirty feet to our right, and the last is hiding underground just a few steps to your left.”

“Oh, you’re a sensor as well!” Minato remarked, a little surprised by this new piece of information. But given Kakashi’s wide array of talents, it really shouldn’t be that shocking for him to have a knack for sensing too.

“No, I can smell them,” was Kakashi’s inexplicably nonchalant reply. 

There was a solid three seconds in which Minato could only blink dumbfoundedly in response. Because that answer didn’t make any kind of sense to him then and still doesn’t now. 

_Was that supposed to be Kakashi’s idea of a joke? And if not, how can he possibly smell anything through the mask?_

Kakashi hadn’t clarified his statement, instead choosing to track their opponent’s movements through the treetops as if he never said anything strange to begin with. Still confused, Minato had elected to leave it at that and continue on with the exercise. To this day, he’s still not certain if his student is a sensor or not. Kakashi could just be utilizing a combination of calculations and strategy to make highly accurate guesses. Both are conceivable options. 

The two are currently on a mission at the bequest of a small village located in a rural area of the Land of Fire. An ancient urn that had been regarded as a village heirloom was stolen. And since the theft, the community had been reporting no shortage of odd occurrences such as property damage and unexplainable attacks on several of its residents. The village council considered it possible for the perpetrators to have some background in shinobi training and accordingly sent a request to Konoha for assistance in combating the thieves and recovering the urn. 

As assignments go, it’s not exactly a standard one. You would usually get a little more information on your opponents for an apprehension and retrieval mission, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be a terribly difficult one anyway. It is a little odd that no one in the village has ever laid eyes on the culprits though. 

Minato and Kakashi arrive at the village and are promptly taken to speak with a village elder who more or less reiterates the information already included in the mission scroll. From there they begin gathering information, visiting the damaged sites and speaking to the villagers who had been attacked. Even after that, Minato and Kakashi are still lacking in concrete information, so they resign themselves to performing a methodical sweep of the entire village. 

It’s not shaping up to be an invigorating mission by any means, but to Minato’s surprise, Kakashi actually appears to be growing more and more interested as they investigate. 

After two days of searching and stakeouts, Kakashi and Minato finally make headway as they’re combing through an abandoned house located on the edge of the village. 

The two of them had only just split up when it happened. 

Minato wasn’t facing in its direction, but there’s no way he could have missed the flash of blinding white light originating from the other side of the hallway. Blinking away the afterimages from the sudden illumination, he scans the vicinity and only finds Kakashi standing in the middle of a doorway. 

His student is still standing and appears to be unharmed, so Minato is more confused than worried once the glow has faded. Walking over to peer over Kakashi’s shoulder, he sees an empty room save for a few scraps of paper and what looks to be scorch marks on the floor. 

Noticing Minato’s approach, Kakashi gestures casually towards the bits of paper. “It seems like a trap that was specifically designed to blind and disorient any intruders. Some combination of flash paper and modified exploding tags would be my guess.” 

Minato acknowledges that it’s a reasonable explanation, but something still isn’t adding up. First of all, Minato has never seen a trap like that before. The light seemed to course with its own power a bit like natural energy but not quite, giving off a sense of something primal yet pure. 

In addition, Kakashi seemed to be completely unfazed by the radiating beams of light that had to have appeared right before his eyes. Then again, Kakashi does have a lightning affinity meaning that he’s likely accustomed to such blinding flashes. That’s probably it. 

Minato lets out a long sigh. He’s probably being overly paranoid, but he still gets the sense that he isn’t seeing the full picture…

________________________

Meanwhile, Kakashi had known that the culprit plaguing the village was a youkai the second the elder had shown him and Minato a picture of the stolen urn. The ornate vessel stood around a foot and a half tall and was tarnished with age. But the most telling detail was the innocuous paper seal affixed to the lid. It only took Kakashi a moment to connect the dots from there.

An exorcist, most likely a figure of authority in the village, must have sealed the spirit away years ago. Not understanding what it contained, the following generations had treated it as a prized heirloom until someone broke the seal. Kakashi’s guess is that the perpetrators were bandits who assumed that the urn held great value. But when they opened the lid, a ravenous youkai broke free and devoured them.

And now that Kakashi has identified the responsible party, their mission should be finished before too long, especially because he knows exactly where the spirit is currently hiding. But since he can’t explain any of this to Minato, Kakashi will have to wait until they stumble across the youkai’s haunting ground before he can do anything. 

Several days later, the two are continuing their investigations at the derelict house on the outskirts of the village. As soon as Minato’s back is turned, Kakashi tracks the youkai’s scent to the exact room it’s occupying. 

The youkai is grotesque, its long white hair hanging over its face and partially concealing its overly large eye and mouth. The spirit’s lone eye widens in alarm as soon as it sees him, but Kakashi gives it no time to react.

Pushing his forehead protector up, Kakashi reveals a glowing mark on his forehead that hadn’t been there a second ago. It’s the very same curved symbol that appears on his forehead when he’s in his true wolf form. And from that marking he emits a blinding flash of light, banishing the malevolent spirit. The youkai writhes in vain as the light engulfs it, it’s huge mouth open in a soundless shriek before it finally dispels. 

Unsurprisingly, Minato whirls around at the sudden disturbance and rushes over to investigate. Kakashi, with his back still turned to him, surreptitiously pushes his forehead protector back down onto his face as the glowing symbol on his forehead fades. 

Minato ultimately accepts Kakashi’s explanation, but he can tell that the jōnin is still confused. Either way, Minato’s attention is redirected upon finding the missing urn in the opposite room. The village elders are elated to see the urn back in their hands while Minato and Kakashi are relieved to have fulfilled one of their assigned objectives. And seeing as the strange events had ceased from that day forward, the two of them are soon free to go. 

Although the assignment was technically completed successfully, Minato is still troubled by the lack of resolution. On the other hand, Kakashi appears to be completely unconcerned at how the mission ended on such a puzzling note.

The only possible reason Minato can think of is that thieves believed the urn to be valuable, but began terrorizing the villagers once they found it to be empty and worthless. After all, the urn's lid was slightly ajar when Minato found it, and the elder had confirmed that there had never been anything stored inside it. His and Kakashi’s presence had possibly frightened the culprits away since the attacks and destruction had stopped shortly after their arrival in the village. 

This is a probable set of events, so Minato doesn’t understand why his suspicions are still going haywire. And since no lasting harm came to anyone involved, he should really take a page out of Kakashi’s book and stop fretting over the mission. 

It’s times like these where Minato has to consciously remind himself to stop asking questions, an essential lesson that he’s learned from his student. 

After all, it’s the only thing that’s keeping him sane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that Minato has finally passed Kakashi’s and Sakumo’s trial phase, the confusion increases...


	16. Not a half mile from the nearest road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi miscalculates.

Throughout the past months, Kakashi has found that Minato possesses far more mettle than his appearance would suggest. One could honestly be forgiven for regarding him as unimpressive considering he’s a rather unassuming youth of average height. 

Now Kakashi recognizes that he himself hardly appears formidable in his current state, but his human child disguise has been specifically designed so that he can blend in. Anyone who catches a glimpse of him in his true form would have no misconceptions as to the extent of his power. But as a human, Minato only has the one form. 

Nevertheless, he had initially anticipated that a young and relatively green jōnin like Minato would have called it quits long before now. Hence why Kakashi and Sakumo had more or less decided to collectively test his limits. Because if Minato lacked the necessary fortitude, Kakashi would much rather know sooner than later. He was hardly interested in learning any more names than he had to during his time in Konoha.

Kakashi wouldn’t say that Minato has taken his and Sakumo’s antics in stride, but he has handled the circumstances far better than the vast majority of people would. And he’s been improving as well. Minato barely flinches upon seeing Sakumo now. Likewise, he also seems to be much more acclimatized to the youkai-related oddities that pop up every now and then. 

Since the spirit in the urn, there have been a few other missions that involved contact with spirits. For their most recent assignments, Kakashi has begun questioning any local youkai as witnesses or requesting that they keep tabs on certain individuals of interest. While numerous spirits have powers that could make for potentially useful assets, Kakashi isn’t willing to incorporate any of their flashier abilities seeing as how suspicious Minato was following the mission with the urn youkai. 

Best to let him think that Kakashi has a tendency to talk to himself. 

There’s been a few occasions in which Minato has almost caught Kakashi while he’s conversing with other spirits. The latest incident had occurred during their last mission as he was quizzing a youkai that most resembled a small rock with the likeness of a face carved into its surface. Kakashi had been just about to ask the little rock youkai about the humans who regularly passed through the area when the jōnin suddenly burst through the row of bushes behind him. 

Minato hadn’t said a word as he emerged from the thicket, several leaves still stuck in his hair. His eyes had swept over the area in a slightly erratic manner, but he ultimately found nothing but Kakashi resting underneath a tree with several stones littering the ground near his feet. 

Afterward, the jōnin had spent most of the trip back to Konoha shooting bewildered looks at Kakashi.

Since then, several days have passed by the time they receive their next mission. For their first objective, he and Minato are to escort a merchant’s son back to his home. And after personally meeting the son, a young man by the name of Shun, Kakashi fully understands why his father was so adamant about hiring a guard for him. While Shun seems to be a reasonably pleasant person, he is unquestionably absentminded and dangerously so at that. Kakashi wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to step off the ledge of a cliff while lost in thought. 

Thankfully, Shun otherwise makes for a rather easygoing traveling companion. To both Minato’s and Kakashi’s surprise, he voices no complaints about being guarded by two shinobi who are both younger than him. Such age disparities can be a recurring point of contention for civilians who don’t understand that shinobi place far more stock in skill than age. 

There have been multiple instances where Kakashi and Minato have had to reassure clients that they were both highly qualified for the mission in question, and such disputes have engendered slight tensions on past assignments. In contrast, the scatterbrained man is quite eager to engage in small talk on the rare occasions that he is paying attention to the world around him. 

Shun, as it turns out, unsurprisingly has a usual attendant who is tasked with accompanying him in almost all circumstances. The duo had been embarking on a leisurely journey throughout the Land of Fire when his father sent a message requesting the immediate presence of Shun’s bodyguard. 

In order to avoid slowing the guard down, Shun had stayed behind for the time being. He’d offered to make the trek home by himself, but his father insisted otherwise and arranged for an escort. Given that Shun has narrowly avoided falling into the river twice at this point, both Minato and Kakashi consider that to be a wise decision.

But despite their client’s tendency to inadvertently wander into hazardous situations, Kakashi and Minato manage to return Shun safely home where he will once again be under the watchful eyes of his usual minders. However, their mission is far from finished. The two shinobi next report to Shun’s father, Kento, for a briefing of the specifics regarding their second objective. 

Kento, as the two quickly learn, is a highly affluent merchant of fine silks. The middle-aged man has enjoyed a profitable business thus far and is arranging for his oldest daughter to take over the operation in around a decade’s time. 

But this success is not without its troubles. Kento has recently received word from an informant about a business rival’s plot to sabotage him, hence why he sent for Shun’s bodyguard so abruptly. He had required a skilled operative to further investigate those claims and hoped that the guard’s absence might encourage Shun to wait in Konoha for longer, thus remaining away from the conflict. 

But Shun’s insistence on returning led Kento to realize that utilizing shinobi could be an effective method for ameliorating his troubles, especially after his informant reported that his rivals were prepared to raid their stores and eliminate his entire family if necessary. 

In the time that it took Shun, Minato, and Kakashi to get there, Kento’s informant has determined that a group of mercenaries are likely to attack sometime in the next few days. So while Kento’s men are guarding his family home and primary warehouse, Kakashi and Minato are to be on the lookout and confront the intruders as necessary. 

The mercenaries launch their assault on the third day. After spending several nights carefully observing their movements, the two shinobi spring into action. Kakashi and Minato have decided to eliminate the two units that will be attacking the home before flanking the larger force that will arrive as backup. 

The first group they subdue with ease. The second is where they begin to run into complications. 

The two had hoped to dispatch the mercenaries swiftly before the reinforcements could make their way over. While Minato and Kakashi are more than capable of handling large numbers, the amount of time it would take to face them all at once increases the mercenaries’ opportunity to sow damage. 

However, this particular set of foes is rather adept and annoyingly so. While not a shinobi, Kakashi’s opponent has certainly fought several before. The fact that he’s still living speaks volumes of his skill. 

The mercenary seems to favor an evasive and defensive approach, thus leaving Kakashi few opportunities to get a hit in. Now Kakashi could easily overpower any enemy, but there’s only so much he can currently do under the cover of his tiny human form. 

This battle is a bit like trying to swat an elusive fly. There’s no question of Kakashi’s victory, but it’s still taking far too long for his liking. Glancing over in Minato’s direction, it appears as though he’s facing a similar issue. 

So Kakashi steps directly in front of his opponent’s sword, allowing it to skewer him through the torso. 

As tactics go, it’s quite an effective one. Most enemies are thrown for a loop when their foe deliberately moves into the path of their attack. And even if they aren’t, few bother with defending themselves when it appears as though they’ve dealt a fatal blow to their adversary. Either way, this technique almost always gives him the decisive upper hand in a combat situation. 

And Kakashi experiences no actual harm when carrying out this strategy. He’s developed his human form so that it will bleed and sustain injury, but it’s an element that exists only for show. After all, other shinobi would find it amiss if he didn’t bleed after being cut.

A slash of a blade might disembowel a normal human, but Kakashi wouldn’t even feel any pain. While it may appear as though he’s been dealt a grievous injury, it’s really the equivalent of cutting grooves into armor as any damage done to his human form is merely superficial. And given Kakashi’s mastery of his various guises, it’s all damage that he can easily repair. 

As expected, the mercenary blinks in surprise at suddenly finding his sword lodged in Kakashi’s stomach. Taking advantage of the opening, Kakashi cut his foe’s throat with a quick, fluid slash. His opponent falls lifelessly to the ground as Kakashi casually pulls the bloodstained sword out from his own torso, dropping it unceremoniously onto the grass. 

It’s at this point where Kakashi would erase the injuries to his human form, leaving only his torn shirt as evidence of the wound’s existence. 

But in this particular instance, Kakashi doesn’t get that opportunity. 

Because Minato spins around at that very moment, his eyes widening in horror as he surveys the scene before him. Staring at the jōnin, Kakashi knows that he must make for a gruesome sight with the blood still spilling convincingly from his midsection. 

Minato’s in motion before Kakashi can even begin to give an explanation. The last of their opponents keels over with a kunai embedded in his chest while Minato lunges in Kakashi’s direction, his expression filled with utter and complete dread. 

He scoops Kakashi up in his arms and sprints away from the clearing at an impressive speed, all the while scanning their surroundings for any sign of incoming reinforcements. 

Cradled against Minato’s chest, Kakashi can hear the panicked beats of his heart. Unseen by the jōnin, his face twists into a dissatisfied grimace behind his mask. 

_That did not go as planned._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh...


	17. A spot so hard to reach that no one comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaps of faith are made.

Kakashi scowls at this sudden turn of events. Meanwhile, Minato dashes through the forest at breakneck speed, trees whipping by them in a dark green blur.

There’s no easy way to explain himself out of this one as Minato is clutching Kakashi tightly in his arms, holding him in a way that won’t aggravate his “injuries.” Because from his perspective, Kakashi is bleeding out after just being impaled with a sword. 

It certainly wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. If Minato had turned around one second later, he would have only seen a dead mercenary and Kakashi with a ripped shirt. Just another moment and Kakashi would’ve been in the clear. Now, it won’t be long before Minato realizes that Kakashi isn’t actually dying. 

And Kakashi’s options are limited. He unfortunately can’t pretend that his wound is the result of a genjutsu. If Kakashi wanted to go down that route, he should’ve repaired the damage to his form the second Minato laid eyes on him. But even then, a genjutsu alone wouldn’t have resulted in a hole cut through his clothing. Such a telling detail would have likely been noticed by Minato, so there’s a good chance that it still would’ve led to difficult questions

So far the most effective option would be for Kakashi to actually place a genjutsu on Minato, erasing his memory of the scene he just witnessed. However, the idea of this doesn’t sit too well with the youkai. 

Kakashi has observed the effect that his and Sakumo’s conduct has been having on the young jōnin. Minato is clever and perceptive enough to notice that there something off about Kakashi’s behavior. But as a human with no preexisting knowledge of youkai, there’s no possible way for him to isolate what it is. So to manipulate him further seems a little too cruel, especially when this incident is the result of Kakashi’s own carelessness. Such an invasive approach, one that involves altering Minato’s very thoughts, seems unjustifiable.

Besides, there’s no guarantee that the illusion would even take hold, and the repercussions of its failure would be severe. 

As Kakashi ponders his next steps, Minato continues his desperate sprint tirelessly, his panic nearly tangible.

It seems like despite all the grief Kakashi has brought him, Minato does truly care about his well-being. 

Kakashi supposes that settles it then.

_He’s going to do it._

“Wait,” Kakashi finally speaks up. Minato blinks in surprise, his pace slowing ever so slightly.

“Put me down.”

________________________

Charging away from their now vanquished enemies, Minato curses himself for every error he’s made up until this point. He and Kakashi see a significant amount of combat on their missions, but it’s mostly against common thieves and the like.

As in accordance with the lower-ranked missions the two are permitted to undertake, they rarely find themselves facing off against trained opponents. So the moment it became apparent that the second set of mercenaries had expertise in combating shinobi, Minato should have called for a retreat.

Kakashi is exceptional, yes, but he’s still only a child. Minato doesn’t know how much fighting his student was involved in back when he used to accompany Sakumo on missions, but he’s never seen Kakashi fight in a situation where his life might be in danger. They’d only been up against unskilled bandits and other Konoha shinobi in training exercises thus far. Kakashi already fights like an elite soldier, his movements calculated and precise. But the risk is always there. Ability doesn’t always translate perfectly to the field. 

And as a jōnin and Kakashi’s sensei, Minato should have recognized that before Kakashi was even wounded. Now that brief oversight has struck back in full force, culminating in Minato carrying his mortally injured student to safety. And he’s managed to make another mistake in doing that too

Minato should have immediately placed pressure on Kakashi’s wounds so that he could begin to stem the flow of blood. He had instead chosen to seize Kakashi in his arms and flee the scene, something that could result in further harm to his student. Considering that Kakashi was stabbed through the torso with a large sword, it’s possible that he may have a spinal injury as well. Minato could have inflicted irreversible damage by moving him so abruptly. 

But with that line of thinking, another unwanted thought passes through his mind.

_What can he even do?_

Minato has nothing but the most basic of medical supplies, and Kakashi’s wound is something that requires far more drastic intervention. What his student needs is a capable medical nin. 

But as talented as Minato is, he never had a knack for healing. So he continues running, even though it is almost certainly a futile endeavor. Because even if Minato can get them to a safe enough distance away from the incoming mercenaries, Kakashi might not have that long anyway. And if his student has managed to hold on until then, Minato still can’t provide the aid that Kakashi needs right now. 

A quiet voice cuts abruptly through Minato’s grim reverie. 

It’s Kakashi, speaking for the first time since he was wounded. 

“Put me down,” he requests, his tone somber. 

Minato frowns in confusion. 

_Why would Kakashi want to stop?_

While his student may employ unorthodox strategies from time to time, Kakashi prizes efficiency. Halting now brings them no benefit. In fact, stopping could jeopardize both their safety and the mission, something that Kakashi should be keenly aware of. 

“Please,” Kakashi adds, his voice subdued but certain. 

_Unless… _

Kakashi may be a child, but Minato knows that he’s far from naïve. With their present lack of resources, Kakashi almost certainly knows that his wound is essentially fatal. He must not want to die in such a frenzied rush, to slip away amidst a moment of chaos. 

This… this must be one of Kakashi’s last requests, Minato realizes. 

That has to be it. 

Not trusting his voice to remain steady, Minato decides against responding verbally but slows to a halt once he reaches what he’s deemed to be a fitting spot. 

The trees are spaced further apart here, the sunlight filtering through leaves in wide beams of light. Minato can hear the splashing water of a stream off in the distance. It’s a peaceful place, in his opinion. 

Trying to be as gentle as possible, he carefully lowers Kakashi to the ground. His student’s expression is unreadable, but Minato still backs away to give him some space. 

It’s at that very moment when it happens.

A sudden explosion of white smoke obscures Kakashi’s entire body and the tree he’s lying under before clearing to reveal a sight that causes Minato to reel back in astonishment. 

Because a white wolf, enormous with bright red markings on its face, stands where Kakashi just was, staring straight at him with what appears to be an intrigued expression. The beast opens its mouth, but instead of letting out a roar or a growl, it speaks in a low, echoing voice. 

“How interesting…”

Minato blinks as if he’s trying to verify what he’s seeing before him. Excessively large animals aren’t unfamiliar territory for shinobi, especially for those like him with animal summons. Still, Minato is certain that the wolf before him is no summon given that it has no chakra that he can sense. There are none of the usual indicators that would point to this being the result of a hallucination or genjutsu, so Minato is inclined to believe that this indeed is reality.

“So you can see me after all,” the creature continues, evidently unconcerned about Minato’s flabbergasted state. 

“What… what is this?” 

Yet even as he asks this, the answer is beginning to form within his mind. The beast had materialized where Kakashi was resting after all. In addition, all of the idiosyncrasies that Minato has noticed about his student make far more sense if he presumes that Kakashi is not human but instead some other kind of entity. 

And to top it off, there’s something about the creature’s demeanor that is unmistakably familiar… 

“You’re… Kakashi,” Minato utters weakly, feeling slightly foolish once he’s said it out loud. 

But the wolf only rolls its huge golden eyes with a huff. “I would think that would be obvious.”

“But how…?” Minato trails off, unsure as to which of his questions he wants to ask right now. 

The beast, _Kakashi_, elects to respond with a question of his own. 

“What do you know about youkai?”

Minato can only stare back at him, speechless. It’s absurd how swiftly circumstances can change. Just five minutes ago, he was under the impression that Kakashi was _dying_.

In all honesty, Minato should really be having a far more intense reaction right now. Maybe he’s just too relieved at finally having an _answer_ that it’s overriding all other feelings. It may also be that he no longer possesses the emotional range he had before meeting Kakashi. 

But even that answer has only invited more questions. How has a youkai, a being of legends, managed to masquerade as a human, much less a shinobi, for this long? It would be different if Kakashi was a perfect stranger to Konoha with no existing background or history to his name, but he’s a clan heir to boot.

_Although… _

“Is Sakumo a youkai too?” Minato asks, the inquiry leaving his mouth almost automatically. 

Kakashi appears mildly surprised by this query but answers readily all the same. “No, he’s human. But he’s known ever since I began residing in Konoha almost eight years ago.” 

Again, this response clarifies very little. 

Minato opens his mouth but is cut off by another puff of smoke that forms around the youkai. This time it fades away to show the silver-haired, masked child now free of injury. 

“Before we get into any of this,” Kakashi begins as he holds up one finger, “I would like to point out that we still have a mission underway. I recommend that we address that now, and then I can explain more in-depth afterward.” 

Even though it’s a reasonable proposal, Minato still has to squash down the urge to insist otherwise. But as long as Kakashi holds up his end of the deal, he can’t argue with that. 

“Fine,” he allows.

________________________

It’s late afternoon by the time Kakashi returns home. Sakumo, perusing a mission scroll, gives him a nod as Kakashi heads toward the back room to unpack his supplies.

“Oh by the way,” Kakashi calls over his shoulder, “Minato knows.” 

Sakumo looks up from his reading at that. 

“Eh, figures,” he replies with a shrug before turning his attention back to the scroll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now another person in Konoha is in the know! We’ll be getting Minato’s reaction to the full story next. 
> 
> And for those familiar with Natsume’s Book of Friends, Minato is a bit lower than Natori in terms of spiritual power.


	18. A hiding place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some long-awaited explanations are finally made.

Even though the curiosity is nearly eating him alive, Minato manages to toss that feeling aside in favor of their mission objective. 

Due to the delays resulting from Kakashi’s “injury” and his subsequent disclosure that he was actually a _youkai_, the third and largest group of mercenaries have made significant ground by the time Minato and Kakashi have returned. This third unit is rather close to Kento’s property, but they thankfully haven’t split up to attack just yet. It would have been nearly impossible to prevent them from sowing their intended damage if they were already laying siege to both the home and warehouse. 

Flying through the dense foliage, it’s not until Minato lays eyes on the mercenaries that he realizes he has no idea how they’ll go about eliminating them. For the past ten minutes, he’s been trailing after Kakashi who doesn’t seem to think it necessary to discuss options or develop any kind of strategic plan beforehand. But considering the events that have recently transpired, Minato has no issue with letting Kakashi take the lead for now. 

Kakashi appears to be fairly confident about their prospects anyways as they survey the mercenaries from their vantage point up in the treetops. Minato turns to Kakashi, awaiting his suggestions or instruction. 

“Wait for them to scatter,” is all Kakashi says to him before he leaps off of the branches to land lightly in front of the assembled force. 

The group turns towards Kakashi as one, and their collective surprise is quite obvious as they take in his appearance and subsequently dismiss him as any kind of threat. And Minato can’t blame them. A young child doesn’t exactly come across as a formidable adversary, even one that bears a shinobi forehead protector. 

A particularly dour-faced mercenary, one that Minato would guess to be the leader, scoffs openly as the others begin to snicker. He launches himself at Kakashi, naturally assuming for such a small child to have little in the way of defending himself. 

Minato had expected Kakashi to sidestep the attack seeing as he was more than quick enough to avoid the lunge. It would have been child’s play from there to use the enemy’s misplaced momentum as an opportunity to strike an incapacitating blow. The logical next step would be to initiate an immediate offensive on the remaining sure-to-be startled enemies. But Kakashi doesn’t react at all, allowing the mercenary to seize him by the throat and lift him into the air. 

Feet now dangling at least a foot from the ground, Kakashi stares at his opponent impassively. 

The man sneers at this lack of resistance, likely interpreting it as weakness. “How pathetic, calling upon children to defend you.”

Minato would normally be rushing to provide aid in any other situation, but he has a feeling that Kakashi has something up his sleeve. He has a clear view of Kakashi’s face from his vantage point and is almost certain that his student is concealing a gleeful smirk underneath his mask. 

Whether or not the mercenary senses his mirth, he’s evidently decided to forgo playing any games. There’s a sickening crack as his hand tightens around Kakashi’s throat, but the amused glint in the youkai’s eyes doesn’t waver. The man’s jaw drops, an expression of confusion and horror slowing manifesting itself on his face.

“What a shame, you pushed it too far,” Kakashi chides him, utterly unperturbed by what should’ve been a crushed windpipe at the very least. “You might have lived otherwise.”

With these words Kakashi’s eyes shine, his previously dark irises suddenly a glowing gold. And that image is the very last thing the mercenary sees before he’s crushed mercilessly by an oversized white paw. 

Minato must admit that the mercenaries had been rather forward-thinking in their plans, almost admirably so. But none of their preparations had accounted for a twenty-foot tall wolf spirit materializing in their midst. 

Kakashi manages to trample approximately a third of their numbers in his initial assault and begins swiping at the remainder with deadly sharp claws. Meanwhile, Minato takes care of the fleeing ones, most of which are too stunned to even defend themselves effectively. Within a few minutes, the last of the mercenaries have been defeated. 

Kakashi, looking human once more, gestures in the general direction of Kento’s home.

“We should be able to leave as soon as we’ve reported back in.”

Minato nods in response before following, still feeling somewhat in a daze.

And Kakashi is correct. Kento is no short of overjoyed to hear of their success. Minato’s and Kakashi’s actions have struck what will likely be a debilitating blow to Kento’s business rivals. They will have little incentive or ability to retaliate further from here on, especially since hiring such a large number of mercenaries that ultimately failed their objective must have decimated their assets. And even if Kento’s rivals do manage to scrape together enough funds to launch another assault, he’s wealthy enough to hire more shinobi defenders. 

Kento sends them off jovially while Mai, Shun’s serious-faced older sister, gives them a polite nod as they leave their home. Shun, on the other hand, merely lifts his hand in an absentminded wave, barely looking up from the book he was engrossed in. 

It’s not until the two are several miles away that Minato finally allows the gravity of the past hour or so sink in. He pauses in his tracks, pressing his fingers against his closed eyes as if he’s trying to ward off a headache. Vaguely, he hears Kakashi’s footsteps slow to a stop as well. 

“I need explanations,” Minato pleads, his voice slightly muffled by his hands. 

He’s recently learned that youkai, spirits thought to only exist within legend, are very much real. Furthermore, that revelation had been preceded by those dreadful moments in which Minato had believed that Kakashi was gravely injured and bleeding out in his arms. 

And now… now Minato doesn’t know what to think. 

“Moving past the very existence of youkai...” Minato mumbles, mostly to himself. “I mean, I’ve seen proof of that myself so there’s no point trying to dispute that.” Minato pauses, attempting to better organize his scattered thoughts.

“I suppose my main question is this. So you’re a youkai, pretending to be a shinobi.” Minato turns to Kakashi, wanting to see his reaction. “Why? And how is Sakumo involved in this?”

If Kakashi is perturbed at all by the directness of his questions, he shows no sign of it whatsoever. “Those two answers actually go hand in hand,” he responds matter-of-factly.

Noting Minato’s intrigued expression, he continues without further prompting. “I’ve been around for quite a while, so this isn’t the first instance in which I’ve lived amidst humans. I happened across the Hatake some time ago, back when they were a powerful and flourishing clan. They were… fascinating, the most interesting thing I’d seen in decades.”

To Minato’s surprise, the youkai sounds almost fond as he reminisces. But he remains silent, not wanting to distract Kakashi as he’s recounting his tale. 

“So, I requested to stay so that I could learn from them. And I offered to protect the clan from those who might wish to harm them. It was a satisfactory arrangement, but it was also one that was no longer necessary once they decided to join the village of Konoha. We parted ways, and I left them with a scroll that they could use to alert me if they ever found themselves in dire trouble.”

Knowing that the Hatake clan has currently been whittled down to two members, technically one considering Kakashi is actually a youkai, a feeling of trepidation begins to stir in Minato’s chest at his words.

Likewise, Kakashi seems to grow more somber even though his tone of voice remains unchanged.

“For decades I heard nothing. Until almost eight years ago, Sakumo summoned me completely by accident as he was cleaning out the main house. After all, there wasn’t much else he could do following the death of his wife and infant son.” 

Minato blinks in surprise. The circumstances of Kakashi’s and Sakumo’s meeting was quite anticlimactic in comparison to what he had been expecting. Although, it was admittedly no less tragic. Minato can’t even begin to imagine the agony of losing the people who were most precious to you. While pondering this terrible possibility, he almost misses Kakashi’s next words.

“At that point, I felt that assisting one Hatake was at least better than none.” Kakashi glances over in Minato’s direction, as if noticing his brief spell of inattention before he continues to speak. “And Sakumo was open to having the company of another around. And given that a stranger’s presence would have raised suspicion, I adopted the guise of his son in order to better integrate myself into the village.”

“That’s it?” Minato blurts out, filled with both comprehension and confusion following Kakashi’s explanation. “That’s the only reason you’re here in Konoha, acting as a shinobi?” 

Kakashi merely shrugs. “Youkai have a different perspective on these kinds of things. It’s about all there is to that.”

The account is a bizarre one to be sure, but it all makes a little too much sense given everything Minato has already heard about and witnessed of the Hatake. He shakes his head, feeling somewhat weary from the massive amount of information he’s so recently received. 

“What do you plan to do now?” Kakashi inquires, redirecting the conversation with a question of his own.

Minato frowns, “What do you mean?" he asks, not following this train of thought.

“Well, you don’t have to continue dealing with this. Of course, no one would believe you if you started spouting off about youkai. But you could probably find some excuse for the Hokage and pass me off to another unsuspecting jōnin.” 

Deciphering Kakashi’s intentions is never an easy feat. Still, Minato senses that the youkai is giving him an out, a chance to disengage himself from the bedlam that he had unwittingly inserted himself into. 

“I can’t say that any of this has been easy,” Minato begins, speaking honestly. “But I think things will be better now that I’m in the loop.” 

Kakashi’s eyes flicker in his direction, but he otherwise shows no expression on his face.

With an unexpected burst of conviction, Minato carries on. “Either way, you can’t tell me that youkai exist and not expect me to ask more. Everyone’s heard tales of spirits that could change form, but I’m almost absolutely certain that using chakra is not an ability that youkai typically have.” Minato can even feel himself growing excited at the prospect of learning more. It seems that now the shock has had time to settle, his ingrained sense of curiosity is beginning to kick in.

“I suppose that’s fine by me,” Kakashi replies in a cool voice before turning to head in the direction of Konoha once more.

It might be Minato’s imagination, but he thinks he sees Kakashi hiding a small smile behind his mask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, real-life led to some unavoidable delays. Last weekend was rough, I tell you. But I’m back despite the circumstances.


	19. A shrine for dragonflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the reveal, some things remain the same while others are quite different.

Now that the veil has been lifted so to speak, Minato is surprised at how little has changed. He and Kakashi carry on as usual with no alterations made to their regular training schedule. In fact, Minato actually finds it easier to teach Kakashi now that he knows his student isn’t human. 

Judging by what Kakashi has mentioned and the skill he’s already displayed, Minato guesses that the youkai had mostly likely achieved jōnin level long before the village’s founding. Accordingly, Minato can forgo the fundamentals that he would normally be drilling to death if Kakashi were any other child. 

There’s no longer a need to concern himself with Kakashi’s safety, not after Minato has witnessed firsthand how youkai seem to be invulnerable as far as stabbing, maiming, and jutsus are concerned. Now he recognizes that there could be other means of harming a spirit, but he highly doubts that any of the opponents they face will be capable of it. 

Although, that hardly means that the shinobi around Kakashi won’t get injured. And seeing how Minato was woefully unequipped to handle the situation had Kakashi actually been mortally wounded, he acknowledges that both of them could benefit from more extensive medical training. Fortunately, Minato manages to find a staff member from the Konoha Hospital willing to provide the two of them with a few brief lessons on field medicine and emergency care. 

Kakashi is quite attentive during the instruction, leading Minato to believe that his prior assumptions were correct. Given that Kakashi previously accompanied Sakumo on his own missions, Minato guessed that his student had at least the ability to perform basic first aid. Yet he also suspected that Kakashi hadn’t needed to learn beyond that level due to Sakumo’s status as a highly-skilled jōnin. The likelihood of severe injuries would’ve been slim, and the same could also be said for Minato and Kakashi’s missions from here forward. 

But depending on the Academy graduation schedule, they could expect to have two more additions within a few years. After the false alarm with Kakashi, Minato wants to ensure that any fresh genin assigned to his team will be in capable hands. And now he’s aware that his student is actually an entity older than the concept of hidden villages themselves, Minato would be a fool to not utilize Kakashi’s knowledge and ability as resources. 

While he had previously worried about how he was going to keep three young and inexperienced genin alive, Minato now knows that he only needs to fret over two. So from here on, he might actually have an easier time than other jōnin-sensei. Kakashi may appear indifferent on the surface, but Minato is fairly certain that he can count on the youkai to keep a watchful eye over his future teammates. Whoever those two graduates will be, Minato just hopes that they won’t be too disconcerted by Kakashi’s various oddities at first.

Now that he knows the truth, Minato is almost taken aback by how much less off-putting his student’s behavior is. Although the truth is admittedly outrageous, it is reassuring to have confirmation that he wasn’t losing his sanity before. Of course, it likely helps that Minato is now privy to the explanations that he previously would not have comprehended. Albeit, Kakashi doesn’t volunteer information of his own accord but readily answers the questions that Minato has for him. 

Following that eye-opening mission, the two were approximately halfway back to Konoha when Minato recalled a curious comment that Kakashi had made during their previous conversation.

“You sounded surprised that I could see you. Why is that?” he asked.

Kakashi's pace had slowed slightly as he glanced back over his shoulder at Minato. “Most humans are unable to see youkai, hence why the existence of spirits is not common knowledge.”

Well, that was an unexpectedly obvious answer. 

Behind Kakashi’s back, Minato had wilted internally and hoped that the youkai wasn’t terribly irritated. Thankfully, Kakashi continued speaking without a hint of annoyance.

“Seeing youkai is dependent on one’s spiritual power. Only a handful of humans possess enough to do so, and this ability is nearly exclusive to non-shinobi. It’s been my theory that a shinobi’s frequent chakra use results in minuscule stores of spiritual energy.”

The youkai had frowned slightly at that, tilting his head as he pondered this. “I don’t know for certain, however. Before, I was convinced that it would be impossible for a shinobi to perceive spirits, and I was clearly wrong about that. But still, you are one of only three shinobi that have been able to see me. And the first was one I met years before Konoha was even founded.”

Temporarily overlooking the news of his own rarity, Minato had immediately begun to consider the implications of Kakashi’s words.

“So…” Minato mused out loud. “The very first must’ve been one of the Hatake shinobi you lived with before, and the second has to be Sakumo.”

He received a nod from Kakashi as confirmation. The youkai had paused, allowing Minato to fall into step alongside him before elaborating.

“Spiritual power and the ability to perceive spirits by extension, tend to run in families.” The members of the Hatake clan were far more sensitive to youkai than any other shinobi I had previously encountered. And once I discovered that Sakumo was the last of his name, I believed that no other human in Konoha would be capable of seeing youkai, much less my true form.” 

“Especially,” Kakashi added almost as an afterthought, “because high-level youkai are far more difficult to perceive than your run-of-the-mill spirit. That’s why I was surprised that you could see me.”

Minato bit back the urge to let out an exasperated sigh.

Because of course Kakashi was one of the more formidable youkai out there. It certainly wouldn’t do if he were simply a spirit of average power, not when he was already masquerading as the most impressive prodigy Konoha had ever seen. No, Minato doesn’t know why he would have ever expected anything less.

However, Minato managed to squash down that feeling in an effort to preserve his own sanity and instead turned his attention to another question that Kakashi’s words had raised. 

“I honestly can’t say why I would even be able to see any kind of youkai though,” Minato responded, frowning in confusion. “I know very little about my family history, but I feel as though word would’ve gotten around if there was someone who was capable of seeing spirits.”

Kakashi hadn’t appeared too perplexed by his words, brushing off Minato’s bewilderment. “Well, Sakumo thought the same at first. He had no idea that his ancestors had made a pact with a youkai ages ago. Either way, spiritual power isn’t strictly hereditary. Sometimes it crops up at random.”

And that had been the first of many discussions resulting from Minato’s various queries. 

From there, Minato had inquired as to how Kakashi was even able to perform jutsus and pass as a shinobi in a village full of sensors and dōjutsu users. The youkai’s subsequent explanation of how he would channel natural energy to replicate chakra use made Minato’s head spin. He still needs to remind himself to request written diagrams detailing how exactly Kakashi even developed such a process.

Not too long ago, Minato would quell his sense of curiosity by fiddling with and developing new seals. But now that he knows of youkai, he can’t help himself from wanting to find out more. It’s all he can do to prevent himself from peppering Kakashi with questions.

_How many kinds of youkai are there? Have they all existed for centuries? What powers do youkai hold? How do most youkai regard humans? Do the legends of youkai have their basis in truth?_

Upon reflection, Minato supposes that quite a bit has actually changed. 

Although one more thing he hadn’t accounted for was how often he would be dragged into issues he’d much rather leave alone.

________________________

Sakumo joins Kakashi and Minato for lunch following their usual training session one afternoon. Kakashi can’t recall the name of the restaurant, but the seating arrangement provides its customers with open access to the street. Because of this, he has an unobstructed view of the people milling about and walking down the village path.

As Minato and Sakumo engage in small talk, Kakashi’s eyes alight on a figure he recognizes. It’s Danzō, the aged councilor, striding past the various citizens on the street. 

Kakashi’s next words are rather abrupt, spoken almost automatically as he cuts off whatever the other two had been conversing about. “Tell me, is it normal for a human to bear the body parts of another?” he asks. 

Next to him, Minato starts choking on his broth. Almost immediately, Sakumo claps him on the back with what seems to be excessive force. Minato nods his thanks but gives a slight wince once Sakumo is no longer looking, likely wishing that elder Hatake hadn’t bothered to help. 

But Sakumo’s attention is on Kakashi now as he considers the youkai’s unexpected question. “Organ transplants aren’t uncommon and may be used to save one’s life or greatly improve the quality of it. However, I have a feeling that you’re talking about something slightly different.”

“You’d be correct,” Kakashi confirms. “The ‘parts’ I’m referring to are ones heavily imbued in chakra. And I know this because the councilor has a number of them quite literally up his sleeve,” he explains, gesturing towards Danzō’s departing back. 

Minato lets out a strangled sounding squawk that is ignored by both Hatake. 

Kakashi would say that he generally feels quite neutral towards the majority of Konoha’s population. However, there are a few things about the councilor that he is not fond of. For one, Danzō reeks of arrogance and deceit. 

Furthermore, the councilor has also been attempting to find opportunities to speak with Kakashi throughout the past few months. After insulting Danzō at their very first meeting, the elder had given Kakashi a wide berth for quite a while. But something has changed recently, something has caused Danzō to take an unusual amount of interest in Kakashi. And there is a hunger in the elder’s visible eye, a thirst for power that the youkai does not like.

“That sounds like it could be kekkei genkai theft then,” Sakumo responds in a thoughtful voice. “Such a serious accusation would require concrete proof should you wish to make one. If Danzō is scavenging from other shinobi, I’d agree that he needs to go. But it certainly wouldn’t be easy finding everything you’d need.”

Minato begins shooting anxious glances at the various people in the vicinity, clearly alarmed by the ease at which Kakashi and Sakumo are having what is a borderline treasonous conversation out in the open. His worries are hardly unfounded as casual eavesdropping is rather commonplace in a shinobi village. 

However, the people of Konoha have long learned to turn a deaf ear to Kakashi’s conversations, a collective decision likely made to preserve their own peace of mind. At this point, Kakashi could probably describe in-depth plans to assassinate the Hokage in public without anyone reacting. Not that he actually has any present intentions to bring about the death of the Sandaime off course. 

“This is a respected elder we’re talking about here though,” Sakumo continues. “Are you sure about this?” he asks. 

“Danzō has become rather irritating as of late,” the youkai admits. “Still, I would say there’s no need to go to much effort. I could just follow him to find out what he’s up to and kill him if necessary,” Kakashi points out matter-of-factly. “But we can go ahead and try things your way.”

With that, Minato finally abandons all pretense and buries his face in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have Minato realizing just how much mischief he’s signed himself up for.


	20. And nesting jays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kakashi, Minato, and Sakumo try to go about things subtly before resorting to a much more direct approach.

The three have since relocated to a secure room located on the Hatake clan grounds, a measure that Minato had insisted on should they intend to carry on their discussion. 

Sakumo considers this to be wholly unnecessary. No one, absolutely _no one,_ in the entire village of Konoha is particularly keen on overhearing Kakashi’s conversations. And even if someone was listening in and heard what they were saying about Danzō, it still wouldn’t be the most unusual discussion that Kakashi has had in public. 

However, Minato had looked to be on the verge of hysterics at lunch. So here they are, in a mostly empty room with its walls very nearly plastered in privacy seals.

“Start at the beginning please,” the youth insists as he inspects a seal for the third time in the past ten minutes. “How exactly were the two of you able to arrive at the conclusion that Danzō has committed kekkei genkai theft?”

Kakashi shares a prolonged look with Sakumo who simply shrugs. The youkai lets out a sigh, mentally calculating the amount of time such an explanation might take. 

“I assume the village of Konoha sees some value in Danzō,” Kakashi begins. “I personally wouldn’t understand it. Someone as conniving as he is shouldn’t be left unattended or even alive in my opinion.”

Although he does his best to hide it, Sakumo notices an expression cross Minato’s face as if he wanted to ask a question but decided against it. He wonders if Minato is wondering how Kakashi has determined that the councilor is not one to be trusted. After all, it’s a question that he himself would have under normal circumstances.

Aside from these new allegations of kekkei genkai theft, Sakumo doesn’t believe that Kakashi has any definite evidence of Danzō’s deceitful nature. However, he trusts in his convictions. If the youkai declares that the councilor is up to no good, then he will believe in his assertions. In all the time that Sakumo has known him, Kakashi has had a certain “sense” about others. Sakumo doesn’t know what it is as he’s never bothered to ask, but the youkai hasn’t been wrong to his knowledge. 

“Throughout the past few months,” Kakashi continues, “I was left with the impression that Danzō was attempting to seek an audience with me. Now I naturally avoided him to the best of my ability, but he managed to approach relatively close on a few occasions. Because of this, I was able to notice that there was something different about him, something that hadn’t been there a month ago.”

The youkai lets out a huff of distaste. 

“If he’d minded his own business, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to notice,” Kakashi comments with a roll of his eyes. “But whatever Danzō has done, he is currently in possession of organic material that he was most certainly not born with.”

Sakumo frowns in contemplation. “Do you know what specific body parts these might be?” Considering that the elder’s usual manner of dress conceals his form quite effectively, Danzō could very well be hiding anything under that robe. 

He glances in Minato’s direction with that thought, noticing that the youth hadn’t spoken a word since Kakashi began his explanation. Minato, however, no longer appears as distressed as he was earlier and merely looks to be deep in thought. So Sakumo redirects his attention back to the youkai. 

“Oh, I would be willing to bet that they’re eyes,” Kakashi responds without hesitation. “Nothing else would be that size or shape. Although, I do wonder why his left eye socket remains empty if that’s the case…” 

“Eyes?” Sakumo echoes. “Then he’s certainly gained those by some manner of theft. If he isn’t using them for the explicit purpose of sight, the only eyes valuable enough to bother implanting them into yourself would be dōjutsu. In Konoha, that would be the Sharingan and the Byakugan.”

Sakumo’s face grows grim as he continues. “Those clans guard their eyes intensely, and that’s to put it mildly. The Hyūga clan brands its own kinsmen with cursed seals with the justification of preventing the Byakugan from falling into unauthorized hands. Entrusting someone outside of the clan with a dōjutsu simply isn’t something that’s done, not even if that individual is a respected elder of the village.”

“I had guessed as such,” the youkai comments, now scowling. “However, I did sense something strange about his right arm as well. It seems to be the area in which the eyes themselves are embedded, but the arm itself is like nothing I’ve ever encountered before…”

Before Sakumo can reply, Minato chooses this moment to break into the conversation.

“So, we know that Danzō is very likely engaging in illicit experimentation and stealing kekkei genkai for his own use,” Minato recapitulates, running his fingers through his hair. “What can we do with this though? It’s not that I don’t believe you Kakashi, but I don’t think we can allege anything based on the little information we currently have. Especially when we wouldn’t be able to explain the reason behind our accusations.”

“You’re right about that.” Sakumo leans back in his chair, frowning as he ponders their limited options.

Kakashi, however, looks unworried. “I’ll just tail Danzō for a few days to find out what he’s up to. I highly doubt that he’ll be able to see spirits.” And with that, the youkai has departed by the time the other two have finished processing his words. 

Sakumo has an absurd image of Danzō being followed around by a twenty-foot-tall wolf and fights to urge to laugh. Meanwhile, Minato seems taken aback by the abrupt end to their meeting but doesn’t look to have any complaints with Kakashi’s plan. Neither does Sakumo for that matter. Throughout the years, he’s found that the youkai’s plans, while confusing at times, are usually quite effective. 

Sure enough, the three reconvene approximately two days later with Kakashi bearing much of the critical information they were seeking 

“I saw red eyes, so he’s definitely been pilfering Sharingan from the Uchiha,” Kakashi reports, settling down on the empty chair across from Minato and Sakumo. “He has at least three implanted in that arm of his with what looks to be room for more. And if that arm isn’t the product of another experiment, I’ll eat the Hokage Rock.”

“So what now?” Minato questions, looking both weary and determined in response to the news. 

“We could try talking to those involved in this,” Kakashi carries on, his nonchalant tone contrasting greatly with Minato’s demeanor. “After all, Danzō didn’t sew those eyes into himself. And who in this village has shown an obvious interest in body modification?” 

“Orochimaru, and technically you too,” Sakumo remarks, remembering Kakashi’s first encounter with the snake Sannin. Their discussion then had been the first indication as to why it was unwise for the general public to listen in on Kakashi’s conversations.

“So it’s almost certain that Orochimaru was the one who aided Danzō with the transplants,” the youkai reasons. “There aren’t many shinobi in Konoha who possess the scientific background for it, and I believe even fewer would have the discretion to engage in such experiments.” 

“If we’re going to try and get information about Danzō through Orochimaru then we might want to bring Jiraiya in for that part.” Sakumo looks to Minato at this. “Do you think he would be willing to investigate?”

“As unconventional as my old sensei may be, he wouldn’t accept corruption of this level.” Minato takes a deep breath before his next words. “I think asking him is our best option.”

Several days later, Sakumo and Minato approach Jiraiya with their reservations about the elder. It had taken them a while to decide on just how much information they should share with the Sannin. They needed to be specific enough to encourage Jiraiya to look into the issue, but too much detail might raise his suspicions. It wouldn’t do if Jiraiya grew skeptical of their claims.

The two eventually settle on a story that is remarkably close to the truth. Sakumo and Minato simply explain that they were troubled with the elder’s recent interest in Kakashi, especially after Kakashi reported that he sensed something strange about Danzo’s chakra. The two further convey that they would prefer for their concerns to remain in confidence. 

Sakumo guesses that Jiraiya has his own misgivings about Danzō based on how readily he agreed to investigate the elder. However, Jiraiya is unable to obtain any incriminating evidence without alerting the Sandaime, and by extension Danzō, of his actions. While Orochimaru had admitted to working directly with Danzō, he was not willing to disclose any additional information. For weeks, Jiraiya continued to see little headway as a result of his lack of resources and Danzō’s own craftiness. Overall, it seemed as though Kakashi’s, Sakumo’s and Minato’s decision to take a subtler approach in handling Danzō was producing little in the way of results. 

In the end, it is Kakashi who proposes an effective if highly unconventional solution.

“Why not kill Danzō first?” Kakashi asks in all seriousness. “That way Jiraiya doesn’t have to tiptoe around Danzō or the Hokage in his investigations anymore. He can take his suspicions about the elder up with the Sandaime or simply request to look into the circumstances surrounding his death. It should be much easier to uncover the full extent of Danzō’s actions if he’s already out of the way.”

Minato and Sakumo stare at the youkai with mirroring expressions of astonishment.

Kakashi merely sighs in response to their startled faces. “Let me put it this way. If we are successful in exposing Danzō’s crimes, he will be executed. From what I understand of your human rules and customs, I can’t imagine how Danzō could come out of this alive given the level of his transgressions. So if the desired outcome leads to his death then why not take care of that now?” 

Sakumo is accustomed to Kakashi’s unusual behaviors and ideas for the most part, but advocating for the assassination of a high ranking authority figure in the village is certainly a new one. 

But the suggestion is not one they can effectively argue against, not after Kakashi’s closing remarks.

“It could even appear as though Danzō died from natural causes. There are youkai with the ability to drain one’s life force. Even shinobi and medical professionals would assume that he passed away from old age.”

It hadn’t taken long to Kakashi to locate a suitable youkai, one that could absorb a human’s spiritual energy to the point of death. And with the promise of a fulfilling meal, it took even less time for Kakashi to convince the spirit to come to Konoha. 

Thankfully, Kakashi is more than powerful enough to ensure that the other youkai wouldn’t feed off of anyone else during its time in the village. Even so, he advises Sakumo and Minato to keep their distance once the youkai enters Konoha as strong spiritual power like theirs could always prove to be enticing. 

The three had also discussed the possibility of manufacturing alibis for the day of Danzō’s death but ultimately thought better of it. With the elder seemingly passing away from natural causes, no one would be searching for a culprit anyway. Furthermore, Jiraiya was the only one in Konoha who was aware of their suspicions against Danzō, and he was shrewd enough to see through such a ruse. 

So Kakashi, Minato, and Sakumo go about their daily routine as usual. Except when night falls, Kakashi shifts into his true form and leads the other spirit to the elder’s quarters. Alone and unsuspecting, Danzō doesn’t realize anything is amiss until he is very nearly drained. With the objective accomplished, the two youkai leave Danzō’s now stone-cold form where it had crumpled onto the floor. 

And the uproar following the discovery of Danzō’s body is unlike anything Konoha has ever witnessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Danzō, your time was limited from the start…


	21. A sign there is still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the village experiences the aftereffects of Danzō’s death, Kakashi begins to reach out to his peers.

Months later, the bedlam raised by Danzō’s death has not subsided in the slightest. 

The day that Danzō’s corpse was found, a messenger was sent to retrieve the elder after his absence was noted from his usual duties. Said courier had immediately called for help after stumbling across Danzō’s collapsed form on the ground and determining that there was no sign of life from the cold body. 

The medical personnel who arrived next on the scene had proceeded to cut away the elder’s robe in order to better determine a cause of death. Instead, they were confronted with the unmistakable sight of three Sharingan embedded in an unnaturally pale arm, the once crimson irises now clouded over.

This had been the cue for Jiraiya to spring into action. With evidence of Danzō’s wrongdoing clear as day, the weary and somber-looking Hokage had promptly authorized the Sannin to conduct a full investigation into the deceased elder’s actions. As they all would very soon realize, kekkei genkai theft only scratched the surface of Danzō’s illegal practices. 

Being a respected and valued figure, Danzō had possessed a great deal of authority in regard to the inner workings of the village. For instance, the elder was tasked with leading Root, a highly secretive shinobi force that embarked on only the most covert of operations. What Danzō was not permitted to do was recruit members through a combination of kidnapping and brainwashing, even poaching the children of prominent shinobi clans. Naturally, the Sandaime found himself facing no shortage of incensed clan heads.

As for the illegal experimentation, Orochimaru had apparently become a rather pivotal figure in the wake of Danzō’s death. With the elder gone, the snake Sannin had been far more inclined to share the finer details of Danzō’s unauthorized procedures. Although, it soon became clear that Orochimaru had conducted several unsavory experiments himself. 

The Hokage, however, seemed prepared to overlook his former student’s transgressions provided that he testified extensively as to Danzo’s actions and cooperated fully with Jiraiya’s investigations. Either way, Kakashi predicts that there will be a number of eyes on Orochimaru for some time to come.

As a result, countless council meetings have already been held to address and remedy the many consequences of Danzō’s misdeeds. From disbanding Root to weeding out the loyal members of the elder’s network, the council will have its hands full in the near future.

Kakashi is actually somewhat curious about these proceedings, but his assumed age technically leaves him locked out of such matters. Such a small detail would hardly be enough to stop him, however, He could always sneak in and eavesdrop, but the prospect of sitting through hours and hours of bureaucratic proceedings hardly appeals to him. The youkai would much rather receive a condensed debrief from Sakumo later. 

As the Hatake clan head, Sakumo’s presence is expected at council meetings. Minato too has found himself drawn into these matters with Jiraiya enlisting his assistance in dealing with the remnants of Root. Evidently, Danzō’s excessive methods of conditioning a sense of undying loyalty in his forces have left a number of young shinobi utterly unprepared to function in daily life. 

For the past few weeks, Minato has been aiding Jiraiya in placing those former Root operatives in environments most conducive to their rehabilitation. Some of the children are placed with shinobi families while others are residing in civilian homes. Some are placed alongside other ex-Root members whereas others are placed on an individual basis. As it’s all a rather time-intensive process, Minato was required to reduce the frequency of their training sessions for the time being. 

Kakashi doesn’t particularly mind this turn of events, but he does need to find other activities to occupy his time. He’s walking back from the training grounds one afternoon when he hears the ever-familiar sounds of excitable children arising from a nearby shrub. 

His little fan club seems to have seen an increase in members now that Kakashi has been spending far more time training alone. Kakashi also supposes that the political upheaval of Danzō’s death could be another contributing factor. If any of those young humans are clan children, it’s likely that they’ve been left to their own devices while their family members are occupied with the fallout of the recent scandal. 

Now that Kakashi thinks about it, there does appear to be a greater number of Konoha children underfoot as of late. 

And that gives him an idea. 

If the adult shinobi population is going to be scarce for the time being, then this could be a convenient opportunity for Kakashi to better integrate himself amongst the other children in the village. Given that he’s resided in Konoha for around nine years now, this is something he should have done already. 

Furthermore, the current batch of Academy students could be graduating in as little as a year. It would be sensible to at least acquaint himself with the ones who may become his future teammates. And this is something he can get out of the way during these comparatively uneventful times.

So Kakashi decides to start with the duo, the boy and girl who have consistently been his most avid observers during his individual training sessions. He’s already had a few interactions with Gai, so he might as well approach these two. 

Several months ago, the jumpsuit clad boy had all but confronted him on his way home from a training session. In actuality, Gai had attempted to follow Kakashi for almost a week with the youkai effortlessly giving him the slip each time. Finally, Kakashi had taken pity on him and allowed the exuberant and determined child to “find” him.

Kakashi had tuned out most of the boy’s words during that interaction but gathered that Gai wished to challenge him in order to prove his own ability. He had turned down Gai’s request, partly because he was curious as to what the boy’s reaction would be. But to his surprise, Kakashi’s rejection had only seemed to energize Gai judging by his shouted convictions to train even more intensely from hereon. The whole affair is more than a bit bizarre, yet Kakashi can’t deny that Gai is a rather amusing individual. Overall, he’s curious as to where this might lead.

Even so, Kakashi has yet to converse with the clumsy Uchiha boy and the girl with the purple markings. Considering that they still haven’t tired of watching him train, they could prove to be adequate companions. 

Following one of his afternoon training sessions, Kakashi departs on his usual route back to the Hatake clan grounds. Except this time he listens carefully, waiting for the sound of the two children’s footsteps. Once Kakashi hears them leave in the opposite direction, he takes to the treetops, tracking the students’ path as they make their way out of the woods. He leaps from branch to branch before dropping lightly to the ground just eight feet to the children’s right.

“Oh, hello,” Kakashi calls out to the startled humans, pretending as though he hadn’t intended to land so close to the other two. He sets his pack on the ground as if he had stopped to rearrange its contents. 

The two, however, seem too taken aback to speak, so Kakashi decides to take the initiative and introduce himself.

“I’m Kakashi,” he offers even though the other two almost certainly know his name already. 

The girl is the first to recover. “My name is Rin,” she stammers, suddenly looking quite nervous. “I’m Rin Nohara, and that’s Obito,” she adds, hastily gesturing at the Uchiha boy next to her. 

The two wait for Obito to speak, but he seems dumbstruck. In that moment of silence, Kakashi’s eyes flicker towards the pair of orange goggles resting on the Uchiha’s forehead. 

Now _that_ prompts a reaction out of Obito. 

“Why are you looking at my goggles like that? What, do you think they’re stupid?” 

The boy spits out the question as aggressively as he can muster, but Kakashi can easily pick out the undercurrent of insecurity hidden just below the false bravado.

In Kakashi’s honest opinion, the color of the goggles is quite hideous. However, he’s gathered from his time in Konoha that children especially do not take well to blunt criticism. They’re actually a bit like youkai in this regard. 

So Kakashi instead makes an effort to respond as diplomatically as he can manage. “I think goggles are a fairly practical addition since as a Uchiha your eyes would be considered far more valuable than most. They should be an extra line of defense against any enemies who want to gouge out your eyes or blind you with an irritant.”

Judging by his bewildered stare, Obito doesn’t seem to know how to react to his words. Rin appears to be of a similar mindset as well. 

But they don’t appear to be angry, so Kakashi takes that as a cue to continue. 

“However, goggles can also be a hazard in hand-to-hand combat. With a blow of significant force, goggles could leave you with more extensive injuries than if you weren’t wearing them at all.”

“That’s… that’s helpful advice,” Rin finally replies, shooting Obito a pointed look. 

“Thanks, I guess,” the boy blurts out hurriedly. 

Well, that didn’t go too terribly. Although Kakashi probably could’ve left out the part about eye-gouging in retrospect. 

The youkai wracks his brain for a new topic, hoping to resume the conversation before the silence grows too awkward. However, it appears as though Obito has gotten over whatever reservations he may have initially possessed. 

“How did you learn how to perform all those jutsus back there? Is that something that we’ll learn at the Academy?” he asks excitedly. 

Obito’s animated expression as he says this contrasts dramatically with the panicked look that simultaneously shoots across Rin’s face. Evidently, she hadn’t expected for Obito to reveal that the two of them were essentially spying on Kakashi. 

However, Kakashi has known from the start so he takes Obito’s question in stride.

“I honestly doubt it,” he answers. “I never went to the Academy anyway.”

But the Uchiha seems to deflate at this so he adds, “I could try showing you a few techniques some other time if you’re interested.” Kakashi honestly doesn’t know if either of them will take him up on his offer. But if they’re brave enough to accept then he’ll try to find something appropriate to teach them. Maybe Sakumo would have some ideas. 

The other two look startled albeit not in an unpleasant way. Even so, Kakashi thinks it prudent to extract himself from the situation. He has a feeling that he might end up overwhelming the two children otherwise. That is if he hasn’t done so already. 

“Well, I should be heading back now,” Kakashi states, picking his pack back up off the ground. 

Obito and Rin don’t say anything but step back, allowing him to pass. The youkai supposes he’ll find out soon enough whether or not he’s frightened them away. 

Kakashi takes his leave, sensing two sets of eyes boring into the back of his head as he does so. He normally wouldn’t bother with this, but he turns slightly to wave over his shoulder before disappearing into the trees. 

Surprise registering on their small faces, the two children smile and wave back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we see that Kakashi's social skills have seen somewhat of an improvement. 
> 
> Just a little fun fact here: When I first came up with the concept for this story, I originally thought I would be able to have it wrapped up in around fifteen or so chapters…


	22. One piece of property that won’t be owned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone comes seeking a favor.

Something strange had happened during Minato’s latest assignment. Well to be exact, it had actually occurred when he was on his way back to Konoha after the mission was completed. 

Minato had initially welcomed the task, finding it a relief to be out of the village for the first time in over a month. He had been facilitating the rehabilitation of former Root members by finding therapeutic environments in which they could recover. The ideal scenario would be to place the children in familiar settings with family members or individuals they were bonded to. However, determining the identity of the various Root agents was no simple feat. 

Some children bore distinctive physical traits or kekkei genkai that clearly linked them to specific clans of Konoha. A few more children were recognized by concerned relatives or loved ones, but most cases were far more complicated. Many operatives no longer remembered their own names as a result of Danzō’s conditioning, and it soon became apparent that the elder must have recruited orphans or other children who wouldn’t have anyone looking for them.

However, one unidentified girl not only recalled her name but also a fairly clear memory of an aunt who had lived in a village fairly close to Konoha. Minato had been assigned to escort the child, Miki, to that village in hopes that the aunt still resided there. And if that was no longer the case, the two could at least attempt to determine where she might have gone. 

Minato was fortunately able to locate her, a middle-aged woman by the name of Hanae who had nearly dropped her groceries at the sight of them. After getting over the initial shock, she had appeared overjoyed upon seeing Miki again and promptly informed them that she had lost contact with Miki and her family almost a year ago. The last word Hanae had received from her younger sister and brother-in-law was that the two had fallen quite ill while Miki remained healthy. 

Hanae had received no further correspondence from that point forward. However, she was unable to travel to Konoha herself as she was caring for an elderly neighbor at the time. Hanae had subsequently spent the past few months beside herself with worry, but it appeared as though seeing Miki had lifted a tremendous weight from her shoulders.

Minato could tell that Miki felt slightly anxious due to her own lack of memories, but she overall seemed to find comfort from a familiar figure. So Minato departed soon afterward with few reservations about leaving Miki in the care of her aunt. As he said his goodbyes, Hanae was already outlining her ideas for how they could arrange Miki’s bedroom. 

Given the commotion of the past month, Minato had adopted a more leisurely pace than usual for his journey back home. The day itself was quite a lovely one with its cloudless sky and warm breezes, so he had stopped briefly atop a grassy hill not too far from the edge of Konoha. From this vantage point, Minato had a clear view of the rivers crisscrossing the forested valley below.

Also in the valley was the dilapidated ruins of Futaba, a small settlement that had flooded and sunk into the earth after heavy rains struck the area several decades ago. Twenty or thirty years ago, Futaba would have housed a thriving community. In the present, a lone house with its caved-in roof and crumbling walls was all that remained. Within a few weeks, that too would be submerged by water once the early summer rains had set in.

But upon a second glance, there seemed to be something else there in front of the abandoned home. Focusing intently, Minato was just able to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a shadowy figure down below. 

The way it moved… it had almost looked like it was waving its arms in the way that someone might call for help. Minato began to move closer almost automatically in an attempt to discern what exactly he was seeing. 

And that’s when it happened. 

He had lost all awareness for a brief moment. One second, Minato was staring out at the derelict village. The next, his body had pitched forward involuntarily, the ground swerving upwards to meet his face.

Minato had luckily managed to right himself in time, catching himself before he made impact with the ground. He straightened himself and scanned the surrounding area as if trying to seek an explanation for his temporary lapse. But there was nothing there, no discernible reason for what had just occurred.

With a growing sense of confusion setting in, Minato had made his way to Konoha once again. Although he couldn’t help but notice that he felt oddly fatigued all of a sudden. Despite that, he still decided to meet Kakashi for their training session that afternoon but resolved to stop by the hospital afterward if that feeling hadn’t subsided.

Upon arriving at the training grounds, however, Minato finds that the strange series of events haven’t ceased. Usually, Kakashi doesn’t acknowledge his presence until he begins speaking, but this time the youkai looks up at Minato and frowns as he approaches. 

“There’s something different about you,” Kakashi states matter-of-factly as he walks towards him. 

And out of nowhere, the youkai headbutts him, _hard._

Stunned from the impact, Minato doubles over but otherwise manages to remain standing. However, someone else does fall, letting out a cry of pain before landing on the ground. 

“I knew it,” Kakashi states, sounding slightly smug as he walks over to better view the newcomer who has suddenly appeared in their midst. “You smelled different.”

Minato turns around as well, not fully comprehending the events unfolding around him. He watches as the third figure, a young woman with tousled, light brown hair slowly gets to her feet. Her hair just reaches her chin, and she’s wearing what appears to be a dark haori over a yellow kimono. 

It’s not until he sees the paper mask covering the upper half of her face that he realizes that the woman is a youkai. _She_ must be the one responsible for what happened to him earlier. 

“Why did you possess him?” Kakashi questions in a short voice, turning his attention back to the spirit. 

“I’m terribly sorry,” the woman apologizes in a quiet voice. She turns to face the two of them, and Minato notices that her mask depicts an inked illustration that resembles a bird.

“My name is Tsubame.” She addresses Minato now, looking at him directly. “I was unable to leave the bottom of the village on my own. When you were there, I took the chance and possessed you. There’s just someone that I must see!” She bows her head deferentially, but her voice has risen to an impassioned pitch.

Minato opens his mouth and then closes it, unsure as to how he should respond to apologies from the one who had possessed him. Thankfully, Kakashi doesn’t leave him floundering for too long.

“And why is that?” Kakashi cuts in, his eyes narrowing as he regards the other youkai. 

“I’ll only impose on you for a short while,” Tsubame replies. “May I tell you my tale?” 

Kakashi lets out a long sigh but settles himself against the tree trunk behind him. 

Taking that as permission Tsubame starts to speak. “In a very distant past, I was a baby bird…”

With this very first sentence, Minato is tempted to unleash a barrage of questions. _How often is it for common animals to become youkai? Is there a transformation undergone to become a spirit or have some youkai always existed as youkai?_ He bites his tongue, however, assuming that Kakashi wouldn’t appreciate any interruptions. 

Tsubame carries on as she takes a seat on the grass opposite them. “One day, I fell from the nest. A human found me and placed me back inside, but my parents were frightened by the human’s presence. They abandoned the nest, and my four siblings died one by one. I was alone and filled with sorrow. And eventually, I turned into a demon.”

Aside from a touch of wistfulness and regret present in her voice, Tsubame does not show any sign of unease as she describes what must have been a dark time for her.

“But then, a young boy began to leave me food every single day. I’m certain he thought me to be a stray dog or cat,” she adds with a slight smile. “Still, his human scent reminded me of the kindness of the one who had so carefully picked me up. After the village flooded, I was able to rest peacefully thanks to him.”

Finished, Tsubame looks between the other two in what Minato presumes to be an expectant manner. While he personally finds this account to be a rather tragic and touching one, Kakashi looks as bored as ever.

Tsubame seems to sense his apathy as her serene demeanor shifts to something slightly more anxious. “I need to see him.” 

“What do you know about this person?” Minato asks, surprising himself with this interjection. Kakashi sends Minato a sharp look that he does his best to ignore 

“Not much,” Tsubame admits. “I only know that his name is Taniozaki and that he used to live in Futaba.”

“I see…” he responds, feeling his confidence draining away. A name just isn’t very much to go on, not when Futaba has been abandoned for over two decades. He looks at Tsubame’s hopeful face, wracking his brains for a way to convey this to her. 

But Kakashi, unexpectedly, is the one to spare him from that prospect. “We can try to track down this Taniozaki, he states, his voice impassive. “I think Sakumo once mentioned that almost all of Futaba moved to Konoha after the flood. It’s likely that this Taniozaki still lives in the village.”

Thankfully, Kakashi’s assessment turns out to be quite accurate.

The two find that Taniozaki, now a graying library worker, does indeed live in Konoha. From there, Minato and Kakashi only need to point Tsubame in Taniozaki’s direction as he heads home for the day. 

Tsubame lets out a gasp of delight at the sight of him. Elated, she dashes down the street to Taniozaki only for him to walk past her. She tries again, this time rushing forward and stopping almost directly in his path. 

Taniozaki’s eyes slide past her. 

All the while, Minato can see that Tsubame is attempting to speak to him, but her words appear to go unheard. 

His heart sinks at the sight. 

Tsubame seems to realize the futile nature of her actions as she stops, now crestfallen, to watch Taniozaki’s departing back. It’s not until he rounds the corner that Tsubame turns to Kakashi and Minato, her face expressionless.

“Thank you for your aid,” she says politely. “I was finally able to see him again. That’s… that’s all that I wanted.”

“But-“ Minato starts, feeling that the encounter can’t have been what the spirit was searching for. 

“I will have to return to Futaba soon,” Tsubame continues, speaking over him “The village will be underwater again before long.” With that, she bows her head in thanks and disappears into the trees. 

They’ve achieved their objective, but none of this is sitting well with Minato. The two of them stand in silence for a moment before he turns to Kakashi.

“We have to do something,” Minato insists with an unexpected amount of conviction. “Is there anything else we can do?”

The wolf spirit gives him an incredulous look. 

“Why are you being so needlessly noble?” Kakashi complains with a roll of his eyes. He looks almost disgusted with Minato. “Aren’t you supposed to be a shinobi, not some folklore hero?” 

Minato doesn’t know why he feels so strongly about this, but he presses on. 

“Are there any other options available? We don’t necessarily have to bend over backwards for it,” he adds, hoping to convince him.

Although he still looks slightly exasperated, Kakashi obliges.

“Well…” he muses. “Given that Taniozaki was aware of Tsubame’s presence as a child, I presumed that he would have still retained some sensitivity to youkai as an adult. It surprises me that he can’t see her now.”

Kakashi frowns as if contemplating the best way to explain the issue at hand. 

“Spirits like Tsubame don’t possess enough power to make themselves visible to the average human. But certain seals, sigils, or items of power can temporarily allow a youkai to either take a human form or a visage that can be perceived by all. 

“That’s great-“ Minato starts, but Kakashi cuts him off.

“The problem is that all of these methods would require a significant amount of preparation. Tsubame will have to leave in just a few days, I don’t believe we have enough time.”

“So that’s it then,” Minato responds, now feeling downcast. “There’s nothing we can do to help her.”

“I didn’t say that,” counters Kakashi. “How’s your genjutsu?”

________________________

It’s unorthodox, the idea that he and Kakashi hatched, but Minato can’t deny that it’s effective as a workaround. They take only a day to hammer out the details before Kakashi tracks down Tsubame, requesting that she meet them that afternoon.

The three of them once again find Taniozaki as he’s walking home from work. But this time, Minato casts a genjutsu over the man. As illusions go, this one is rather mundane and simple. The vision he’s implanting in Taniozaki’s mind is essentially one that depicts reality itself, except it also shows Tsubame standing before him. Following Kakashi’s instruction, Tsubame addresses Taniozaki as she had before. Meanwhile, Minato communicates her words to Taniozaki via the genjutsu, and he responds in kind. Through this method, the two are able to hold a conversation of sorts. 

Tsubame doesn’t speak with Taniozaki for very long, telling Minato that he can end the illusion after only a few minutes. Once the genjutsu is released, the library worker continues on his way. Taniozaki won’t remember anything particularly out of the ordinary, just a soft-spoken young woman who greeted him and thanked him for an act of kindness he showed her years ago. 

With Taniozaki gone, Minato opens his mouth to ask Tsubame if the interaction was what she was seeking but turns around to find her no longer there

The only sign that Tsubame was ever present is the gentle sound of fluttering wings fading into the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have watched Natsume’s Book of Friends, you’ll have noticed that this chapter is very strongly based upon Season 1, Episode 6: “Swallow at Lake Bottom.” This episode was always one of my favorites, so I had always wanted to include a part of it in this story!


	23. Where the creeping ivy flourishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi offers guidance the only way he knows how.

Obito huffs in disappointment as his attempt at creating the Great Fireball Technique fizzles out for the fourth time that day. He turns to Rin and Kakashi, both of whom are looking on from a few feet behind him. 

“How was that?” he asks, panting for breath. 

Rin claps cheerfully. “That was great! I really think you’ll get it soon.”

Obito brightens up instantly, and Rin starts to smile back. However, Kakashi shoots her a look that makes her falter. The Uchiha, on the other hand, is oblivious to this exchange as he’s nearly tripped over a stray kunai in his delight.

Taking advantage of Obito’s preoccupation, Kakashi whispers furtively in Rin’s ear. ”I understand that encouragement is often beneficial, but I would advise against misleading him.”

The only reason Kakashi says this is because he and Rin have been watching Obito for a significant portion of the afternoon, and she knows as well as he does that the Uchiha is nowhere near success. 

“There’s nothing wrong with helping Obito feel better about himself either,” Kakashi continues, “but he might grow even more frustrated in the long run depending on what you say.”

The brown-haired girl looks startled as if she had never considered the possible ramifications of her reassurances. 

Still, Kakashi doesn’t have any misgivings about bringing this to her attention. He doesn’t expect Rin to adopt his advice immediately, but it seems prudent to plant the thought sooner rather than later. If he’s learned anything throughout his interactions with children, it’s that young humans are startlingly similar in demeanor to some youkai.

As both species are primarily guided by their emotions, certain spirits and human offspring are inclined to develop fixations. They have one-track minds, making it difficult to shake them if something catches their eye. And just from watching the two children before him, it’s evident that Obito has already latched on to Rin.

Given the little snippets Obito has shared about his home life, Kakashi presumes that he’s no stranger to being alone and overlooked. He doesn’t know how long Rin and Obito have known each other, but it’s obvious that much of his emotional well-being depends on her. He shoots glances at Rin when he thinks no one’s watching, listens intently to every word she says, and visibly brightens whenever she pays him attention. Kakashi supposes that this is what the humans would refer to as “puppy love.”

Rin obviously values Obito’s company as well, and it’s likely that they will remain important to each other in the future. However, Obito’s infatuation has essentially rendered him reliant on her for moral support. There’s a chance that he might grow out of this feeling, but Kakashi has a suspicion that it will only intensify in the future. 

Hopefully, it won’t progress to a full-blown obsession. He’s witnessed more than a few youkai fall prey to a fixation and subsequently dedicate decades of their existence to it. And those spirits were awfully bothersome to be around when in such a state. Now Kakashi isn’t entirely sure how an obsession would translate to human minds, but he knows that he isn’t interested in dealing with that. 

All the while, the two young children are completely unaware of the complex implications of their relationship. However, it’s quite easy for Kakashi to pick out these little issues they’re facing. And since he has a vested interest in their well-being, Kakashi supposes that he can help them along. After all, Rin and Obito are amongst the few who were even brave enough to approach him directly. If anything were to happen to them, Kakashi would be required to start the entire process over again. 

So when Obito turns Kakashi for his response, he makes an effort to ensure that his feedback is critical but not cruel.

“I think you’ve still got ways to go, but there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that,” Kakashi comments casually as Obito’s hopeful expression sobers. “Often you just need time, and you have plenty of that since you’re still a student.”

And Kakashi wholeheartedly believes that this is the most beneficial statement for the frustrated Obito to hear at this very moment. Reassurances like Rin’s may raise his spirits temporarily, but it will ultimately discourage him later. If Obito takes Rin’s words at face value and believes himself to be just on the verge of a breakthrough, he will only be more dejected after it takes him another two weeks to successfully perform the Great Fireball Technique. 

What he needs is a set of realistic expectations. 

“Easy for you to say,” Obito mutters back, but the ire isn’t directed at Kakashi himself. The Uchiha doesn’t appear to be terribly downcast, so Kakashi assumes that he’s at least recognized the truth in his words. “You can do everything perfectly from the start.”

And there it is. 

Standards and norms tend to become rather skewed in a shinobi village such as Konoha, and Kakashi acknowledges his own role in feeding into that warped perception. But even if one were to ignore his ridiculous graduation record, there would still be enough advanced children to make Obito feel inadequate. 

Being an Uchiha likely doesn’t help matters as the clan has a reputation for producing shinobi who are talented from a young age. So even though Obito displays a reasonable amount of ability for this point in time, he still regards himself as a failure in comparison to his peers. Lately, he’s been voicing his insecurities more and more often with each unsuccessful attempt at performing the jutsu. 

At the same time, Kakashi is gratified that Obito feels comfortable enough to gripe at him. It wouldn’t do if every one of his peers was skittish in his presence. Even though Kakashi had never really blended in due to presenting himself as a prodigy, having zero acquaintances of his own is something that would have certainly drawn the wrong kind of attention. 

Once Kakashi had formally introduced himself to Rin and Obito, they had gotten over their initial trepidation rather quickly. The two had continued to hide themselves in the bushes as they watched Kakashi during his individual training sessions. But after only two more days of that, Rin and Obito had evidently mustered enough courage to approach him themselves. 

And to Kakashi’s surprise, they had actually come to him with specific areas they wished to work on. 

Obito was seeking pointers on nature transformation as he had apparently begun to lag behind his classmates at the Academy. He’d noticed that Kakashi was capable of utilizing all five basic nature transformations and hoped that he might have useful advice or a secret trick up his sleeve. Obito had only looked slightly crestfallen when told that practice was simply the most surefire answer, and noticeably brightened after Kakashi offered to oversee some of his training. 

But unlike Obito, Kakashi doesn’t believe that his current level is an issue of major concern. The Uchiha isn’t doing that badly, and chances are that he will progress more rapidly in the future. Although, Kakashi does recognize that Obito could definitely benefit from the efficiency of a more organized training regimen. 

He’s noticed that Obito tends to switch from various techniques and jutsus in a haphazard manner, not seeming to realize that focused work on a single area would be a more productive use of his time. And when he does concentrate on one specific task, he overdoes it and devotes hours of his time to achieve little headway. It’s all quite unfortunate, really, because it seems as though Obito’s rush to get better is only hindering him. 

Kakashi can’t say that he understands his impatience, but time does pass differently for him, especially for a youkai as old as he is. Obito should be around nine or ten years old, so even a few months of waiting probably feels like an eternity to him. 

Thankfully, Rin appears to be a reasonably well-adjusted and sensible child. She, on the other hand, was looking for someone who could help her in academics. As a prospective medical nin, her coursework included human anatomy, extensive chakra theory, and healing techniques in addition to the Academy’s core curriculum. Lately, Rin had been struggling to find a partner who could review the material with her. Considering that Obito and the rest of her peers struggled to even pronounce the words in her medical texts, Rin was very much alone in her studies. 

Back when Kakashi had resided with the Hatake clan, he had studied basic human biology and chakra theory as part of his efforts to create a human form capable of performing shinobi ability. Because of that, he doesn’t mind quizzing Rin on medical terminology or procedures while they watch Obito practice running through his forms. 

But now that Kakashi thinks about it, these meetings will likely become more infrequent now that Minato is nearly finished assisting Jiraiya. Suitable placements have been found for almost all of the former Root agents, so the two of them should be able to resume their usual schedule soon. Kakashi wonders what Rin and Obito will do once it does. 

Would the two of them feel comfortable stopping by with Minato there?

But Kakashi is distracted from that thought by Obito’s next remark.

“It takes me forever to get things right,” he grumbles. “Is there even anything you’re not good at?” Obito asks, frowning at Kakashi. 

It’s a good question, to be fair. Kakashi certainly possesses all of the qualities that an elite shinobi is required to have. He has his faults, of course, but Kakashi acts strategically so that those shortcomings do not become a hindrance. But then again, the truth of the matter is that Kakashi is even _more_ powerful than Obito believes. Although, he highly doubts that the Uchiha would appreciate this piece of information. 

“Well, you could say that I fail when it comes to not making people angry,” Kakashi answers honestly. “I would wager that the ability to not antagonize the ones around you could prove to be an instrumental skill on a number of missions.” 

Kakashi had considered giving Obito a compliment but decided against it, knowing that the boy might interpret it as a comment made solely out of pity. 

Hopefully, his statement regarding his own ability to engender ire will prompt Obito to think about how he, in contrast, is generally well-liked by the community. From what he’s heard, this is due to Obito’s regular habit of tirelessly aiding the citizens of Konoha in everyday tasks. Likeability can be a significant strength as that kind of altruism has the potential to inspire a powerful sense of loyalty in others. 

And given the contemplative look on Obito’s face, he may have succeeded in his objective. 

“Also, for many reasons,” Kakashi adds, “you shouldn’t use me as an example.” 

“How come?” Obito asks as turns his attention back to Kakashi, sounding genuinely curious as to why such a thing would be so inadvisable.

But Kakashi pretends to not have heard the Uchiha’s question. If Rin and Obito intend to spend any amount of time with him, then they’ll need to get used to not having the majority of their questions answered. 

“Why don’t you take a break?” Rin chimes in, presumably trying to distract Obito before his confusion can shift to irritation at Kakashi’s lack of a response.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Kakashi echoes. An important aspect of training is knowing when to rest and recognizing when you’ve reached your maximum output for the day. If Obito is reasonable enough to listen now, there may be hope for him yet. 

For one moment, it looks as though the Uchiha will protest. 

But Obito settles down next to them with a sigh, peering over Rin’s shoulder to get a better look at the diagram the other two were reviewing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi trying to provide advice is pretty interesting. He’s got plenty of experience and perspective, but the majority of it is from youkai-related matters. We’ll see how well this all translates to human affairs…


	24. And the terrain is unmarred by footsteps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little friend returns.

After embarking on a weeklong mission outside of the village, Sakumo is finally back in Konoha. He had departed from the main road as soon as he had passed through the village gates, making his way through the surrounding woods.

But instead of heading directly to the Hatake clan grounds, Sakumo makes a detour by the training area that Minato and Kakashi tend to frequent. Given the time of day, he expects that the two of them will still be out there wrapping up a training session.

Sure enough, he can hear the telltale sounds of their voices filtering through the forest as he draws closer to the training ground. From what Sakumo can tell, the two have finished whatever item was on the agenda for today and are now discussing potential plans for an upcoming mission.

“You could let just let me eat them,” he hears Kakashi suggest matter-of-factly. “It’s been a while since I last got to eat a human”

“Umm…” Sakumo hears the now baffled voice carry through the trees. He can only imagine what the youth’s facial expression must look like right now, especially when he’s not sure how much Minato even knows about youkai.

Now Kakashi had briefly mentioned that the two encountered a swallow spirit a little while back. However, this could very well be the first that Minato has ever heard about youkai consuming humans, let alone that Kakashi has eaten humans before.

“When was the last time you ate someone?” Minato asks uneasily with the tone of a person who isn’t sure if he actually wants to know the answer.

“Well, when was the last time I went off on my own during a mission again?”

Minato makes a sound reminiscent of a small animal getting crushed underfoot.

Sakumo steps through the row of trees and into the clearing, not bothering to announce his presence. Forewarning was hardly necessary considering the other two shinobi would have already noticed him approaching, and Sakumo is fairly certain that Kakashi had detected him when he was at least a mile out.

Sure enough, neither show any sign of surprise at his appearance. Kakashi gives him a nod while Minato raises a hand in greeting, still looking a little flabbergasted by his realization.

“How was the mission?” Kakashi asks, evidently recognizing that Minato is not quite ready for conversation just yet.

“Successful, more or less,” Sakumo responds with a shrug. “We were able to identify a few of Danzō’s foreign contacts, but it looks like his reach didn’t go that far outside of Konoha. I’d say he had yet to make significant inbounds there.”

“Jiraiya thinks the same,” Minato pipes in, having recovered swiftly from his initial shock. “As extensive as Danzō’s corruption was, it seems that he was only in the early stages of whatever he was planning. Thankfully, we don’t ever have to find out where he might’ve taken things if given the opportunity.”

Sakumo opens his mouth to voice his agreement. But before he can say anything, a small, reddish-brown blur hurtles out from the trees in their direction. He braces himself for a possible attack, only to relax upon recognizing the figure.

The fox ears and tail are unmistakable after all.

The little youkai, looking the same as when he and Kakashi had last seen him, darts forward to wrap his arms around Sakumo’s legs in a quick hug. Sakumo notes with amusement that as enthusiastic as the fox spirit is, he appears to have enough self-preservation to recognize that Kakashi would not appreciate a hug.

The fox boy steps back, beaming at the two of them. “I found you! I wasn’t sure how long it would take me, but I did it!” His eyes alight on Minato, and he turns to him in excitement. “Oh, I don’t know you! Who are you?”

“That’s Minato, he’s a friend,” Sakumo responds, getting the sense that the fox spirit doesn’t require an in-depth explanation.

Minato, in turn, stoops over to offer his hand to the little fox who shakes it eagerly with both of his own. The youth looks to be taking the fox spirit’s sudden arrival in stride considering that he is likely the third youkai he’s interacted with thus far. It probably helps that Minato has only met spirits who are humanlike in appearance and thankfully not malevolent. And the fox boy’s childish demeanor surely doesn’t hurt either.

“Why are you here?” Kakashi abruptly cuts in, frowning at the fox spirit.

The little fox responds, as cheerful as ever. “You said that I could visit any time, so I did!”

Sakumo smiles at the fox boy’s unbridled excitement. “It’s a little unexpected, but I’m happy to have you here. Maybe we can find something fun to do. It might take a few days before I have the free time though.”

“That’s okay! There’s plenty of things I can do until then!”

“Don’t get careless now,” Kakashi warns. “You won’t be invisible to the other humans in the village. They’ll only see you as a common fox, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get into trouble with them.”

The little fox nods earnestly. “Don’t worry, I won’t!” he assures him before scampering away into the woods again.

Kakashi sighs, his mood seeming much heavier than it was before the fox spirit’s appearance. Minato appears to notice the wolf spirit’s change in temperament as well, judging by how quickly he bids them goodbye and leaves the training ground.

“What’s your issue?” Sakumo asks when the two are alone, remembering Kakashi’s odd demeanor when they had initially met the little fox. “I’m just making friends.”

For a moment, Sakumo thinks that Kakashi will ignore him, and this will just be one of those questions that he never gets the answer to. But after a long sigh, the youkai replies.

“That’s exactly what I was concerned about,” Kakashi finally answers, his voice curiously flat.

Sakumo blinks in surprise, not having anticipated that response.

“I’ve seen humans come and go time and time again,” Kakashi elaborates. “But the little fox is young, I don’t believe he understands how comparatively short your lifespans can be.”

“You live and die in the blink of an eye,” Kakashi states simply. “Any friends the fox spirit will make among humans will be gone before he knows it.”

“I… see your point,” Sakumo admits.

In all honesty, he hadn’t expected for Kakashi’s attitude to result from a sense of concern for the fox boy. And he can’t really fault his reasoning either. Sakumo can’t imagine that the childlike fox spirit would take well to losing his new friends.

However, he does disagree with Kakashi’s approach. It could just be because his time is naturally limited as a human, but Sakumo considers isolating oneself in order to avoid the pain of loss to be a rather morose way of living.

“At the same time, we might as well go through with it since I think it’s too late to stop now, Sakumo points out. “Not unless you’ve got the power to remove memories as well.” He tacks on this last sentence mostly as a joke, but he never really knows with Kakashi.

The wolf spirit rolls his eyes at that. “Well, someone will need to have a talk with the little fox eventually, and it looks like it’s going to be you. Kakashi doesn’t look much happier about this turn of events, but his tone of voice suggests that he’s reconsidering. “He’ll entertain himself with exploring the village for now, but it won’t be long before he resurfaces.”

“I expected that to be the case,” Sakumo agrees. “I wonder when we’ll see him next?”

________________________

It turns out that Minato finds out the answer to this question soon enough.

“Why is it following me?” Kushina hisses at him, her eyes looking slightly wild at this point.

Minato turns around and fights the sudden urge to laugh.

Trailing after them is the fox spirit, gazing at Kushina with adoring eyes.

Only the prospect of Kushina’s inescapable wrath prevents Minato from letting his amusement show

_Of course._

_A fox spirit. And the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox._

There’s little mystery as to why the little spirit would become interested in Kushina of all people. But Kushina, who does not know of youkai, is undoubtedly uncomfortable by the fox’s attention.

So he turns to his anxious girlfriend. “Let me try something. I think he’ll run away if I get closer.”

Minato walks up to the fox boy, attempting to whisper as surreptitiously as he can manage. “It’s good to see you, but now’s not a great time. Could we spend time together later?”

Thankfully, the little fox nods amiably and scurries away. Kushina breathes a sigh of relief once the fox boy has exited their line of sight.

The rest of their walk continues in an uneventful fashion, but Minato spends most of it mulling over a question that has taken root in his mind. Actually, he spends the remainder of the day thinking about it as well, finally voicing his question to Kakashi at their next training session.

“Am I allowed to tell anyone else about the existence of youkai?”

Kakashi responds quite matter-of-factly, not even looking up from the shuriken he’s inspecting. “There is no rule, and I’m certainly not a gatekeeper dictating who is and who isn’t allowed to know. As an individual with the ability to see youkai, disclosing that information is your prerogative.”

“Most stay silent, not telling another soul unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Kakashi explains, now testing the sharpness of his kunai by stabbing its point into a tree trunk. “There’s typically no reason to enlighten someone who is incapable of perceiving the truth. For example, Sakumo didn’t say anything because there was simply no need to.”

Minato bites his lip in unease. He had hoped that Kakashi’s answer would provide him with a resolution, but it’s only brought him more uncertainty.

_Should he tell Kushina?_

Minato wants to build a future with her, and he can’t imagine hiding something that has become such a significant part of his life as of late. While Kakashi claims that their run-ins with youkai should be few and far between, Minato can’t help but feel that it won’t be the case.

“Hey Kakashi,” Minato begins, turning towards the youkai. “You mentioned that certain seals could allow youkai to be seen by humans, didn’t you?”

“I did,” he answers, now regarding Minato with an inquisitive look. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you think I would be able to experiment with some of those seals?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here I thought that I could start updating more often in 2020…


	25. While the blinding sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato’s starting to get his hands full as if they weren’t full enough already.

Several days after the fox boy’s arrival in Konoha, Kakashi, Sakumo, and Minato manage to scrounge up enough free time to show the young spirit around the village. And given the pleasant weather, the three decide to cap off the day by taking the little fox to the very top of the Hokage Rock. 

While the trek to the stone heads can be a difficult trail for the inexperienced traveler, their combined party of youkai and shinobi manages the steep paths with ease. Sakumo leads the way up with the elated fox spirit hot on his heels. 

Kakashi elects to hang back with Minato, possibly because the little fox appears to be in a particularly inquisitive mood. Minato can’t really blame him, however. It seems that the spirit has never heard of hidden villages or shinobi before and is now taking it upon himself to learn as much as he can about these new concepts.

“So these Hokage… You said that they’re the ones who lead all of the shinobi in the village, right?” Minato overhears the fox boy ask. 

Sakumo gives an encouraging nod in response to the spirit’s curious expression. 

“Well, what exactly is a shinobi then?” the little fox inquires innocently, looking up at the Hatake clan head. 

The jōnin freezes in his tracks for an infinitesimal moment, taken off guard and no doubt scrambling for an explanation that will downplay the bloodier and more unsavory aspects of their occupation. Meanwhile, the fox youkai, utterly oblivious to Sakumo’s internal panic, waits patiently for his answer.

“So-“ Sakumo starts, but he cuts himself off, obviously deciding against what he had originally planned to say. “You see…” he tries again before abandoning that attempt as well. 

Kakashi lets out an amused snort, prompting Sakumo to shoot him a dirty look over his shoulder.

It’s odd to see Sakumo Hatake, one of deadliest combatants in the entire Second Shinobi War, looking so flustered. It may be easy to forget how powerful Sakumo is due to his easygoing personality, but Minato wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Iwa and Suna shinobi still tell their children cautionary tales about the White Fang in order to frighten them into behaving. To Sakumo’s credit though, it doesn’t take the famous war hero too long to develop an appropriate enough response.

“Shinobi serve the villages that they reside in and do so by carrying out assigned missions,” Sakumo replies with the expression of a man who is choosing his words very carefully. “We might be asked to guard a person of interest, deliver and retrieve items, or defend a certain area,” he elaborates, wisely not mentioning the lethal force that shinobi are authorized and often commanded to wield. 

The little fox nods thoughtfully. “I see.”

Minato imagines that Sakumo has just breathed a huge internal sigh of relief. And fortunately for him, the fox spirit seems satisfied with his response and shifts his line of questioning to much more innocuous topics. 

“Why would shinobi take the time and effort to carve such huge faces onto the mountain though?” the fox boy asks as he gestures in the general direction of the monument that the four are traveling towards.

While Sakumo explains that the stone faces are supposed to represent how the Hokages watch over Konoha, Minato casts a glance around the vicinity to check for any stray passersby. There’s no one nearby, not that Minato actually expected anybody to be here at this time. Still, he prefers to be cautious in scenarios such as these. After all, it would be a hassle to explain themselves if word got around that he, Sakumo, and Kakashi were engaging in conversations with a common fox. 

“Oh here,” Kakashi suddenly speaks up as if just remembering something, handing Minato a scrap of paper that was tucked in his front pocket.

Minato takes it and holds the paper up to his face for a closer look. It looks to be some kind of symbol carefully outlined in ink. A shape that resembles an eye is situated in the middle of two concentric circles. The ring between the two circles has been divided into six equal sections, and smaller symbols have been drawn in each of those segments.

Given that he had asked Kakashi about seals for viewing youkai just a few days prior, this can only be one thing. 

Minato raises his eyebrows in surprise. “That didn’t take you very long at all.”

“It was something I was already looking into,” Kakashi admits. “After that swallow spirit barged in for help, I thought it might be useful to have something of the sort on hand. This is called a youkai circle, but this one is also incomplete.”

“What do you mean?” Minato asks, examining it more closely. It doesn’t look unfinished to him, but he really wouldn’t know considering that this is a seal he’s never laid eyes on before. 

“Well, it’s a bit of a tricky situation,” Kakashi explains. “The text that I found this youkai circle in was a particularly ancient one, so portions of it had already crumbled away. I managed to copy down everything that I could discern and filled in the rest through guesswork. It does work, but it’s also rather unpredictable in its current state.”

Minato’s confusion must be obvious because Kakashi takes one look at his face and continues on. “So this seal functions in a very specific way. It must be drawn or etched onto the ground. A youkai that passes over the seal will become visible to any human, even if they have no spiritual power at all. The issue now is that the circle seems to weaken if you try to draw it any larger than it is here. It’s unreliable; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

“Is there anything that can be done to make this more effective?” Minato asks, now frowning to himself. Things don’t look promising if Kakashi wasn’t able to figure it out. 

But Kakashi doesn’t seem to be too concerned. “That’s where you come in. I think the best solution might be to stabilize the circle with fūinjutsu. Since the seal is supposed to be for Kushina, it might be helpful to incorporate an element of chakra. Now spiritual energy and chakra do not mix. But youkai circles don’t actually require any spiritual power to use, so I think it would be a worthwhile angle to pursue.” 

Minato nods his agreement and begins folding up the piece of paper. But Kakashi’s next words cause him to look up in surprise.

“I will warn you that youkai circles are a prohibited technique,” the wolf spirit advises, his voice now quite serious. “In fact, any mechanism that allows someone incapable of perceiving youkai to actually see them is considered forbidden.” 

“I’m not an exorcist, so I don’t care either way,” Kakashi quickly adds in response to Minato’s alarmed expression. “It’s highly unlikely that you’ll run into any of them to begin with, and you should be able to handle the situation on the off chance that you do. But youkai are a different matter. There are certainly some spirits out there who would not take very kindly to you using that seal. If you’re lucky, they will politely ask to stop.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Minato mutters to himself as he tucks the seal away into the pocket of his flak jacket. He’ll need to be watchful when experimenting on it then. 

The two fall into silence once more, Minato now pondering the implications of these new developments. He’s certainly glad to have the seal, but this means he’ll probably end up having to delay his current project yet again. It’s been a dream of his to replicate the Nidaime’s Flying Thunder God technique, and he’s been working towards that goal for quite a while now. Minato’s speed is already exceptional, but adding a teleportation jutsu to his arsenal could make him near unstoppable. 

But despite the incredibly practical applications of Tobirama Senju’s famed technique, Minato has been forced to push back his research multiple times during the past few months. There really wasn’t anything he could’ve done otherwise, not after Jiraiya had conscripted him to help manage the fallout of Danzō’s death. 

Almost absentmindedly, Minato pats the pocket that he placed the seal in. He supposes that it’ll be some time before he’ll be able to fiddle around with teleportation seals again. 

Figuring out the youkai circle should be his priority now. Minato hates keeping any kind of secret from Kushina, and he knows that he’ll be much more at ease once he lets her in on the secret. But Kushina can’t see youkai on her own, so there’s no point in informing her now when his only evidence comes in the form of a rather erratic seal. 

But he pushes those feelings aside for the time being because they’ve now reached the very top of the Hokage Rock. 

The little fox exclaims his delight at the impressive sight of Konoha laid out before them. He shoots off like a dart, scampering over the massive stone heads while Sakumo hovers behind him.

Minato has been up to the Hokage Rock several times now, but repetition does nothing to diminish the breathtaking nature of the view. Taking it all in, he settles himself down on the stone in a little nook between the Nidaime and the Sandaime. Meanwhile, Kakashi heads in the direction of Sakumo and the fox spirit, trailing lazily after them.

The four of them don’t stay atop the mountain for too long, just around an hour or so. While the sunset is especially stunning from the view of the Hokage Rock, the little fox had intended to return home that day and wished to set out before darkness fell.

After making their way back down, the fox boy bids them farewell and promises to come back as soon as he’s able. Sakumo and Minato both wish him well and send him off with warm smiles. Kakashi, on the other hand, doesn’t exactly appear enthusiastic, but overall seems to be much less put out than he was the day the fox spirit first arrived in Konoha. 

All in all, the day’s activity was a pleasant experience. Certainly an unexpected one, but a nice one nonetheless. It had allowed Minato the opportunity to take his mind off of all the duties expected of him, especially when there’s so many more than he could have ever predicted.

Aside from Minato’s responsibility of serving Konoha and bettering himself as a shinobi, he’s been assigned a youkai in disguise as a student, he’s helped to expose Danzō’s treacherous deeds against the village, and he’s participated in the extensive and tiring process associated with its aftermath. To top it off, there’s also his growing relationship with Kushina to consider and obligations that he has to her. 

And speaking of responsibilities, Minato has yet another one to add to his now considerable list. Oddly enough, this might be the one that makes him the most anxious, even if it’s arguably one of the more mundane ones. 

In all honesty, Minato is slightly surprised that he still has the capacity to feel nervous, even after everything the Hatakes have put him through. But regardless of how he’s feeling, this is something that he needs to do.

So a few weeks later, he walks calmly down the hallway only stopping when he’s found the room he’s looking for.

Minato steps into the classroom, eyes scanning the rows of desks until he’s found the faces he’s looking for.

“Rin Nohara? Obito Uchiha?”

The two genin jump slightly in their seats, looking up at him in surprise.

Minato smiles down at their startled, expectant faces.

“My name is Minato Namikaze, and I’ll be your jōnin-sensei from today onwards.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go!
> 
> On another note, please stay safe out there. I hope everyone’s doing well.


	26. Burning high above the valley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi has a few opinions regarding the bell test.

His new student’s reactions weren’t what Minato had anticipated as he was operating under the assumption that neither genin would know who he was. Now Minato is regarded as an exceptional jōnin, but he’s hardly a household name at this point. Yet Rin and Obito had appeared to recognize him, at least to a certain extent. Oddly enough, the two also appeared to be somewhat pleased to see him. 

The two seem polite enough, greeting him rather timidly and nodding after Minato informs them that they will be immediately departing for the training grounds. 

“So we’ll be running through your first task there, and that’s where you’ll meet the third member of the team,” Minato explains as they leave the Academy building. 

Minato had initially planned for Kakashi to accompany him to the Academy but decided against it after remembering how Sakumo once mentioned that Kakashi was quite popular amongst the school-age children. Not wanting to create a disturbance for the other jōnin-sensei, Minato instead asked Kakashi to wait at their usual training ground while he picked up his new students. Hopefully, the youkai will still be there when they arrive. 

Rin and Obito appear to be promising genin. He just hopes they’ll be able to get along with Kakashi. But all Minato can think about is Kakashi’s unfailing ability to provoke others. He just has a knack for phrasing his words to elicit the maximum amount of offense. 

So it is with a mild sense of trepidation that Minato enters the training ground with his new students trailing after him.

Kakashi, he notes with relief, is still there, lounging under a shady tree in the clearing. 

“Hey, it is you!” Obito exclaims upon catching sight of Kakashi. 

Rin’s voice is almost a squeal in her excitement. “Hi Kakashi! I’m so happy we’ll be on the same team!”

“Oh, I thought it would be you too,” Kakashi remarks mildly, marking his page in the book he was reading before walking over to join them.

Minato’s eyebrows furrow in confusion at this exchange. He honestly wasn’t aware that Kakashi was on speaking terms with any children. As developments go, it’s an unexpected but not unwelcome one. It seems like Minato won’t have to worry about Kakashi inciting his teammates into attacking him at the very least. 

This could play out better than he had envisioned.

“It looks like the three of you have already met, that’s good,” Minato starts, directing a pointed look a Kakashi who seems to be pretending that nothing is amiss.

“We can skip past the introductions then. Now as the two of you have just graduated from the Academy, I’d like to run a little exercise with the three of you.”

Minato holds out two little silver bells that are attached to a string. “Your objective is to take one of these bells from me, and I’m going to give you all one hour to do this. If you can’t manage to get a bell, then you might not be ready to be a shinobi just yet.”

The key to the bell test is ensuring that its participants don’t see through the ruse as cracks in the premise can become visible with only the slightest bit of doubt. From there, it’s a simple task to piece together the hidden objective. So Minato watches his students’ faces carefully as he speaks, searching for any indication of suspicion. 

Two-thirds of his team is taking this seriously. Rin and Obito are reacting as expected, their faces somber as they take in his words. 

And then there’s Kakashi. 

It’s remarkable how expressive Kakashi’s face can be when half of it is concealed by a mask at all times. Minato genuinely doesn’t recall ever having anyone look this unimpressed with him before. 

He had never expected to fool Kakashi and was certain that the youkai would pick up on the exercise’s true purpose. However, Minato had still elected to not inform Kakashi about the bell test in advance, a decision that he is now beginning to regret. Things could become very challenging indeed if Kakashi is going to be in one of his difficult moods. 

But Minato smiles at his team, taking care to not betray any of his apprehension. “Your hour starts now!” he proclaims before taking to the trees. 

As soon as his back is turned, however, Minato’s expression slides into a grimace.

This might not go so well after all.

________________________

Kakashi resists the urge to roll his eyes. Of course.

Of course this is the exercise, a “secret test of character” designed to determine if its subjects are willing to help others at a possible cost to themselves. Does Minato think that Kakashi has never heard of them? 

Youkai are more than fond of these. Would you help a lost child in the woods on a rainy day or pick up a cane for an elderly man when you’re in a hurry? Performing a selfless deed or showing even the tiniest amount of kindness can prompt a spirit to aid you in your own time of need.

Kakashi is a little surprised that Minato would administer a test like this. He would’ve figured that shinobi, even genin, would be able to see through such a charade. Although now he thinks about it, human children do have a tendency to take things at face value, especially if an authority figure is telling them so. 

That seems to be the case here as Rin and Obito still appear slightly taken aback by Minato’s pronouncement, shooting furtive glances at each other if not entirely sure what to do. 

The youkai frowns slightly. There are several courses of action that he could take, but he wants to catch up with Minato before he makes his decision. 

“I’m going to go scout ahead. I’ll catch up with you two in a little bit,” Kakashi declares, leaping up into the treetops before Rin and Obito can even say anything. 

It doesn’t take long for him to locate the jōnin. Minato looks up and immediately groans upon seeing Kakashi perched in the branches like a particularly smug cat. 

“Alright, don’t hold back now,” Minato says with a resigned expression on his face. 

Kakashi smirks, making no attempt to hide his amusement. “It’s like you borrowed the premise from an old folk tale. I would know.”

“It’s a tradition…” Minato mutters, his voice trailing off. 

“I assume that you don’t want me to take charge of this exercise,” Kakashi continues as if hadn’t heard him.

“No,” Minato sighs, “I’m not testing you. Because that would imply that I could actually get rid of you,” he adds, shooting an exasperated look at Kakashi.

“Don’t complain now, you had your chance to get away and decided not to take it,” the youkai answers loftily, looking utterly unperturbed.

“Wait,” Minato speaks up, now remembering his moment of confusion from earlier. “How do you even know Rin and Obito anyway?” 

“It turns out that the shinobi children of Konoha apparently enjoy stalking those that they find interesting,” Kakashi replies offhandedly. “Those two seemed to be some of the more promising ones. They were looking for a little extra help on schoolwork and ninjutsu.”

“I… see,” Minato responds with the voice of someone who doesn’t quite understand but would also rather not inquire further.

“Well, the fact that the three of you know each other changes things considerably, Minato muses, moving onto a different topic. “And Rin’s and Obito’s familiarity with each other is an interesting factor as well.” 

"In an ordinary scenario, the bell test determines whether or not three individuals will combine their efforts even if one is supposedly guaranteed to fail.” Minato gestures towards the bells attached to his belt. “Here, I think we’re testing to see if Rin and Obito would be willing to work with you.”

“How so?” Kakashi asks, looking somewhat interested. 

“Those two have to be aware that you’re leagues ahead of them in skill,” Minato reasons. “They might decide that their best chances of getting a bell would be to band together against you. Of course, that wouldn’t actually work,” he acknowledges, “but it would be a valid strategy from their perspective.” 

Kakashi nods. “Alright, so let Obito and Rin take the initiative and see if they’re willing to cooperate. I can do that.”

“Sounds like a plan,” answers Minato. “I’ll likely remain around this area, so no one has to spend too much time tracking me down.”

With that settled, Kakashi hurtles back into the foliage in search of the other two As it turns out, they haven’t traveled very far from the clearing. He jumps from the tree branch to land directly in front of Rin and Obito who both jump back in surprise.

“I’m back. He’s approximately fifty yards northeast of us,” Kakashi announces. 

Rin takes a second to respond, her voice a little high pitched from the shock. “Oh, that’s good.”

“So, what do you plan to do?” Kakashi prompts since Obito still appears a bit dumbfounded. 

“Well, Minato-sensei is a very skilled jōnin,” Rin begins cautiously. “I don’t think we would have much of a chance on our own. We might be able to get a bell if we work together though.”

“Sure, why not?” Kakashi agrees casually.

Both genin frown slightly at his tone but neither seems terribly bothered by it. They’ve evidently grown accustomed to Kakashi’s matter-of-fact manner of speaking.

“I think a simple formation could work,” Rin proposes, her face slightly subdued with apprehension. “We could have two people providing a distraction while one tries to get the bells. We might get in each other’s way if we all went in at once.”

“And sensei probably has some kind of special technique for dealing with a lot of people at once,” Obito jumps in, looking a little more animated now that Kakashi is on board. “So we can sneak up on him and catch him by surprise instead.” 

Rin now appears a little more confident as well. “I think that it would be best for me to be one of the ones running interference, but I’m okay with any role,” she offers.

“So who’s going to take the bells?” asks Obito.

Seeing an opportunity, Kakashi cuts in. “Obito should do it.”

“Wait me? Why not you?” the boy splutters, clearly not expecting to be volunteered at all. 

“Because he’ll expect it to be me,” Kakashi explains. “I’ve been a shinobi for the longest out of the three of us, so it would make sense for me to take point. You also have the fireball jutsu down now, and that will be especially effective at close range.”

“You want me to set Minato-sensei on fire?” Obito asks incredulously. 

“No, you don’t need to actually direct the jutsu at him,” Kakashi elaborates, even though he knows that a jōnin like Minato is more than capable of avoiding a freshly minted genin’s attack. “A distraction would be sufficient.”

Obito appears mollified by this. “Okay, let’s do this.”

The three small shinobi creep carefully through the forest to where Kakashi last saw Minato. Sure enough, the jōnin is still there, waiting for his students to appear. 

Rin turns to her teammates who each give her a nod. Frowning in concentration, she takes one deep breath before taking aim. 

A kunai sails through the air, embedding itself in the earth only a few inches in front of the jōnin’s feet. As Minato turns in the direction of where the projectile originated, an arc of lightning shoots just over his right shoulder. 

Now on alert, Minato turns slowly in place to see Rin and Kakashi leap out into the open. They immediately fall into position, circling him in an attempt to close him in. Rin continues with a barrage of kunai, aiming to contain rather than hit. Meanwhile, Kakashi alternates between lightning bolts and pressurized jets of water to cover any openings that Minato might take advantage of.

Obito watches from his hiding spot, waiting for the jōnin to turn his back to him.

_Now!_

Obito charges towards Minato, only for him to notice and sidestep the lunge easily. Now off-balance, he topples over and comes up emptyhanded. He scrambles to his feet to try again, diving at Minato who looks more than prepared for him now. But this time the Uchiha exhales a plume of fire that rockets forward, forcing Minato to dodge to the left as Obito hurtles directly towards him. 

From Kakashi’s vantage point, he can clearly see Minato’s face break into a wide grin as Obito flies under his outstretched arm and _reaches._

The Uchiha tumbles to the ground for a second time, rolling several feet from his momentum. Obito pushes himself up into a standing position and looks up to see that Rin, Kakashi, and Minato have all stopped in their tracks to watch him. He stares down at his closed fist and opens it gingerly, seeming unsure of what he might find.

“I… I got it,” Obito says slowly, holding the bells in the air as he can hardly believe his eyes. 

“Well, well.” Minato looks extremely pleased with this turn of events. 

“You’ve all passed. Welcome to the team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this marks the official formation of Team Minato!


	27. And unobscured by any mischievous raincloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Minato falls into a routine.

Due to the unusual nature of his graduation, Kakashi had never actually performed a D-rank mission before. As there was no genin team available then, he had simply accompanied Sakumo on his own missions. So even before Minato was assigned as his jōnin-sensei, Kakashi had already embarked on plenty of C-ranks, quite a few B-ranks, and even several A and S-rank missions until the Hokage got wind of it. 

It’s somewhat fascinating to see what kinds of assignments are contracted out to beginner shinobi, what chores that civilians trust the trained children of the village to carry out. However, that interest wanes rather quickly. 

“If I have to lay eyes on that cat one more time, it will never be seen again,” Kakashi declares emphatically after one particularly irritating repeat assignment. 

Obito and Rin chuckle a little at that as they nurse their scratches, reasonably assuming that Kakashi is making a joke. 

In contrast, the expression on Minato’s face appears to be one of absolute dismay. It looks as though he’s just remembered that Kakashi is actually a wolf spirit with few qualms about eating humans, youkai, or any creature in between. 

Following that comment, the team is conveniently not assigned any missions that involve capturing animals ever again.

From the start, the four seemed to have adjusted reasonably well into a unit. After Obito had successfully taken the bells, Minato had explained the test’s purpose and complimented the two exhausted and delighted genin on their performance throughout the exercise. 

“The two of you did very well,” Minato had said with a warm smile. “Rin, that was a solid strategy you developed there. It was simple, and that’s often all you need to carry out your objective. Obito, good job at putting yourself out there. And your Great Fireball Technique is quite powerful for your age.”

Kakashi looked up from his pack with an amused expression at that. “Well, we were training with Obito-”

“You threw wooden boards at me while I practiced!” Obito had cut him off in an outraged tone.

“Now Rin threw some too,” Kakashi replied mildly as the kunoichi in question hid an impish smile behind her hands. 

Sakumo had been taking apart one of the dilapidated houses on the Hatake clan grounds around that time, and Kakashi saw an opportunity to repurpose the old building material by using them for moving target practice. 

Granted, he had neglected to warn Obito of what he was doing in advance and instead chose to toss planks in his direction as soon as he saw an opening. But as displeased as Obito was from the initial surprise, he quickly understood Kakashi’s objective for it all. And he kept his complaints to a minimum after Rin joined in on the fun. 

Once they had moved past Obito’s lingering irritation, Minato had quickly established a daily schedule for the team to follow. The afternoons consisted of various training exercises while the mornings were dedicated to whatever D-ranks were available to them. 

Obito and Rin aren’t terrible working partners and make competent enough teammates. Minato seems to be relieved by the lack of friction anyway. Kakashi supposes that any reasonable person would be apprehensive about pairing two fresh genin with a shinobi that already has a reputation for causing uproar. The higher-ups of Konoha had likely designated Rin and Obito as Kakashi’s teammates as soon as it was apparent that the three would be able to get along. 

So far the closest thing they’ve had to conflict was Rin’s and Obito’s initial confusion over the minimal attention that Minato shows Kakashi during their training sessions. Seeing as they can’t admit that Kakashi actually achieved jōnin-level skill decades before Konoha was even founded, the two justify this by claiming that Kakashi’s early graduation, chūnin status, and missions taken with Sakumo have left him with a mastery of the basics. 

Minato and Kakashi will need a new excuse once they start embarking on higher ranking missions with increased levels of risk, but Rin and Obito readily accept this initial explanation. 

But even though Kakashi acknowledges that Rin’s and Obito’s company is overall acceptable, their missions are still dreadfully boring. And despite the fact that Kakashi agreed to take part in this rather monotonous routine, it hardly meant that he wasn’t looking for an opportunity to make things a little more invigorating.

________________________

The trouble began when Minato decided to officially introduce his former sensei to his new genin team. Or to put it more accurately, his team of two genin and one chūnin.

“I thought it was about time that I introduced you all to my own sensei,” Minato explains after Rin and Obito arrive at the training ground to find Jiraiya waiting for them as well. 

The two are predictably awestruck at meeting one of the famed Sannin. Jiraiya, as expected, basks in the attention and even demonstrates a few choice jutsus that Rin and Obito marvel over. Jiraiya, who seems to be enjoying the break from his regular duties, is his usual jovial self throughout the introduction. At least he is until Kakashi joins them. 

Given the animosity that Minato’s former sensei holds for Kakashi, he had asked the youkai to arrive a half-hour later than usual. Unfortunately, it appears that Kakashi either wasn’t listening or deliberately chose not to heed his request. Minato is inclined to believe that the latter is the case here. But knowing Kakashi, both possibilities are equally likely. 

While Jiraiya doesn’t say anything, he very pointedly avoids looking at Kakashi upon his arrival. Gone is Jiraiya’s cheerful demeanor, and he departs with a terse goodbye only a few minutes later. None of this escapes Rin’s or Obito’s notice, but they hold off on their questions until after the training session has concluded.

“Is there a reason why Jiraiya had such a reaction to Kakashi?” Rin asks hesitantly as they clear up the debris from their target practice. 

“Oh,” Kakashi answers nonchalantly, almost certainly smirking behind his mask. “I caught him sneaking around the women’s bathhouses years ago, and he’s been a bit put out by that ever since.” 

Both Rin and Obito look quite outraged by this breach of privacy, or rather as outraged as children their age can be. 

“He shouldn’t have been there to begin with!” Rin declares indignantly while Obito nods his agreement. “How is he allowed to get away with that?”

Minato frowns, trying to wrack his brains for a way to explain why his former sensei’s crude behavior is permitted. However, it seems as though Kakashi was more than prepared for this inquiry. 

“Shinobi often adopt a few eccentricities when they grow in age and experience. And if they’re particularly skilled, others in the village tend to be a bit more permissive of their quirks even if they fall on the more disreputable side,” Kakashi clarifies, continuing his usual trend of phrasing things in the bluntest of manners.

Rin looks less than satisfied with this line of reasoning. “Well that still shouldn’t be excused,” she mutters under her breath as she packs up the rest of her belongings. 

“I know,” Minato acknowledges with a sigh, making a mental note to talk to Jiraiya about it soon. As fond as he is of his former sensei, Jiraiya can hardly be considered as a good influence for actual children. 

“He’s been a bit better about it lately,” Minato remarks. That much is true. After Kakashi first caught him the act, Jiraiya had been much less flagrant in his snooping. And managing the recent chaos surrounding Danzō and his death had left Jiraiya with little time to engage in his “extracurriculars.” 

“I’ll have a word with him if it happens again,” he assures his students nonetheless. 

Obito and Rin appear somewhat mollified by his words as they depart from the training grounds. But then there’s Kakashi. Minato can’t help but feel that the glint in the youkai’s eyes doesn’t bode well. 

Sure enough, two days later Minato hears of an unusual incident that had left Jiraiya with minor to moderate injuries. The Sannin was apparently lingering around the women’s bathhouse when a lone exploding tag had appeared from nowhere and fallen onto the ground in front of him. The ensuing explosion, one that had thankfully not resulted in any injury or property damage, had alerted the women who were bathing inside. 

That they were displeased to find Jiraiya in such a damning location would be an understatement. 

Minato had his suspicions from the start, but they were confirmed after Jiraiya later relayed that his inability to make a quick getaway was due to the uncharacteristically muddy ground outside of the bathhouse. 

It appears as though more talks are in order than he initially thought. 

Kakashi seems to recognize this as he hangs back after their next training session while Rin and Obito head home for the day.

Minato cuts to the chase. “If the three of you are going to toy with Jiraiya, please refrain from disrupting the daily life of the village. As inappropriate as his antics are, you need to keep it contained for everyone else’s sake.”

“No promises,” Kakashi replies cheerily. 

However, Minato doesn’t sense any feelings of objection from him, so he lets it be. 

“How’s your progress on the youkai circle?” Kakashi asks, abruptly changing the topic. 

“It’s been challenging,” Minato admits. “The seal is like nothing I’ve ever worked with before. I’ve been trying to alter it so that chakra can be channeled through it, but nothing’s taking so far.”

“Hmm,” Kakashi muses, “that’s not surprising. You’re essentially trying to rewire the way the seal itself functions. Even though the youkai circle is the most accessible and surefire way to perceive spirits, it still has very limited scope in its intended manner of use.”

Minato sighs. He supposed that would be the case. “Just to check again, there aren’t any better options?”

“Having you alter the seal _is_ the most efficient option,” Kakashi clarifies. “Searching for a complete youkai circle wouldn’t be worth the time or effort. Not only is it unlikely that I would be able to find a complete rendition of the seal, you would probably still need to make adjustments to it anyway. I assume that you want to provide Kushina with more than a seal that she would have to draw onto the ground and wait for a youkai to pass over.”

“That’s the plan,” Minato confirms. “I want this to be something that she can readily activate at will.”

Kakashi looks thoughtful at that. “Seeing as that’s your goal, I think you should concentrate on adding to the seal so that it will be receptive to chakra instead of altering its existing content. It already functions well, provided that you don’t enlarge the seal." 

“That sounds worthwhile plan,” Minato replies even as another part of him mourns the state of his spare time for the coming months. “Hopefully, I’ll have the chance to fix this up. Do you think after everything that’s happened, things will be calm just for once?”

Of course, life rarely does play out that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately for some, Kakashi has gotten a little bored…
> 
> Sidenote: How is everyone doing in these crazy times? For those of you cooped up, I hope the cabin fever isn’t hitting too hard.


	28. Casts countless dazzling beams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which tempting fate rarely goes well.

There’s an unusual amount of panicked screaming in the village today. The day had progressed normally enough up until that point. Minato had given them the afternoon off, citing the necessity of taking breaks every now and then. Sakumo and Kakashi had been bringing home groceries when the unexpected sounds of a commotion had caught their attention. 

The two immediately change course to head in the direction of the racket which seems to be originating from the Academy.

Kakashi and Sakumo reach the street that leads up to the school and round the corner, only to come to a halt once they take in the spectacle before them. 

Thankfully, no one appears to be injured, but the sight is no less bizarre for that. 

The Academy lawn is completely littered with tree branches, many of which seem to have spontaneously grown from the ground itself. There is what looks to be some sort of wooden sphere half-embedded into the earth, one that’s made up of numerous tree limbs that have twisted themselves together. On top of all that, Kakashi notices that inside that wooden construct is what appears to be a child. 

The Academy employees have already taken action in an attempt to contain the situation. One teacher looks to be consoling the child inside the globe, although Kakashi can’t imagine how much success she’s having given that the gaps between branches are beginning to decrease in size. Several more staff members are clearing the area, untangling the students who have been ensnared by the stray branches.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that’s not normal,” Kakashi comments nonchalantly as they observe the chaos in the schoolyard. 

“I hope that pun wasn’t intentional,” Sakumo mutters back. “But no, that is an exceedingly rare ability that was thought to have died out decades ago. The Shodai was the last known shinobi to have possessed the Mokuton.”

Rin and Obito walk up as well, no doubt attracted by the growing commotion. From the looks of it, the two were frequenting one of the food stalls that lined the nearby side street. 

“Is that Tenzō?” Rin asks, frowning at the small figure just visible in the nest of twisting branches. 

“Oh, that is him!” Obito exclaims, pointing with his yakitori. “It’s that weird kid with the really creepy-”

Rin silences him with a sharp look and a forceful smack on the arm. 

Kakashi glances at Sakumo who barely seems to have noticed this exchange. Instead, he’s looking around at the small crowd that’s beginning to assemble, possibly searching for someone in particular. After a few seconds he gestures at someone in the crowd to come over, evidently having found the person he was looking for. 

Jiraiya picks his way through the throng of people over to where Sakumo, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito are gathered. Upon reaching them, the Sannin visibly recoils at the sight of the three children before turning his attention back to Sakumo. 

“Is this from what I think it might be?” Sakumo asks, gesturing towards the scene before them. 

Jiraiya nods. “I’m almost certain. He’s one of the children that that were adopted after Danzō’s death. Minato’s on his way right now and will be able to confirm that once he gets here.” 

“I’m here! I’m here! I’m here!” Minato appears before their group right on cue, looking as if he’d sprinted the entire way there. Still panting for breath, he looks between everyone gathered there, from Sakumo’s serious visage to Rin’s and Obito’s curious faces. 

Kakashi supposes that his own expression reflects an emotion somewhere between apathy and slight interest. And then there’s Jiraiya, who despite his stoic countenance, is very obviously trying to avoid looking at either Obito, Rin, or Kakashi. Minato pretends not to notice his former sensei’s behavior and instead addresses the two genin.

“Rin, Obito,” he states kindly but firmly. “They’re probably going to have all the younger ones leave soon. It’ll probably be best for the two of you to go ahead and head on out.” 

While neither appear particularly pleased by this instruction, they depart if somewhat reluctantly. They do shoot inquisitive glances at Kakashi before leaving, but they seem to have concluded that Minato must have decided against giving him orders due to Sakumo’s presence.

With his youngest students gone, Minato cranes his neck to catch a better look at the Academy lawn. 

Kakashi notes that the school staff have actually made significant progress in a rather short amount of time. They’ve successfully cleared the perimeter of other children, and the teacher conversing with the student inside the wooden structure appears to have made noticeable headway as well. Around half of the branches surrounding the child have receded, clearly revealing a brown-haired boy around the age of seven or eight.

“That’s Tenzō for sure,” Minato declares, frowning in concern.

Jiraiya raises his eyebrows. “So you were able to find out his name after all.” 

“Not really,” Minato admits. “There was a mix up in files, and we thought his name was Tenzō. By the time we learned that it wasn’t the case, that the Tenzō named in the file was almost certainly deceased, he had already grown attached to it. 

Minato lets out a long sigh. “We let him know of course, but he wanted to keep the name.”

“Who are his parents again?” Jiraiya asks.

“He was,” Minato starts, pausing a moment to think. “Well, he was taken in by Daisuke, the carpenter, and his wife Junko. The messenger that informed me should’ve sent notice to them as well.” 

“The carpenter, you say?” Jiraiya chuckles. “His family might actually see this as a boon. Do you think they would appreciate the ability to spontaneously create wood out of nothing?” 

Minato ignores the comment, the look in his eyes suggesting that he’s not in the mood to appreciate humor right now. 

“I hope Tenzō still recognizes me,” he mutters under his breath, heading towards the two people still remaining in the schoolyard. 

Kakashi watches Minato approach them, first speaking with Tenzō before addressing the teacher. His words are evidently well-received as even more of the remaining branches begin to fall away from the boy. 

Meanwhile, an anxious middle-aged couple has just arrived on the scene. They can only be Tenzō’s adoptive parents given their level of panic as they frantically scan the faces of every child in the vicinity. The two eventually spot Tenzō who has just managed to extract himself from the wooden orb and rush towards him, their faces filled with concern. 

With Tenzō now in their arms, the two turn to Minato and the teacher as they presumably inquire about the events that had led up to this ordeal. Minato looks as attentive as ever, answering the parents’ questions in a professional and calm manner. However, Kakashi knows him well enough to recognize that he’s feeling rather agitated at the moment. 

Kakashi doesn’t envy him one bit.

________________________

Soon after Tenzō departs with his family, Sakumo and Kakashi leave as well, the two having remembered that they were still carrying their groceries.

Most of the other schoolchildren and bystanders are vacating too, but Minato can still feel the beginnings of a headache creeping in.

Orochimaru had disclosed that Tenzō was the only surviving test subject of an experiment that’s sole purpose was to create individuals possessing the lost kekkei genkai. However, most assumed the objective was one that had been destined to fail. Either way, this was certainly not an ideal way to find out that the trial was in fact a success. Now Minato can’t deny that the fiasco had ended reasonably well. There were no injuries reported and no damage to the Academy or any of its surrounding buildings. But that hasn’t stopped the whole incident from creating a nightmare of complications. 

It’s a bit ironic that the instigating act had been quite an innocent one. One of Tenzō’s friends had apparently decided to scare him with a playful prank, hoping it might encourage the other boy to lighten up a little bit. Unfortunately, Tenzō’s shock at seeing his friend erupt from the earth right in front of him was evidently enough to awaken his latent ability. 

His initial fear had caused the tree branches to explode from the ground, surrounding him while snaking around the other students in the vicinity. However, the panic of suddenly being enclosed had triggered even more branches to grow around him and spread throughout the schoolyard. The tree limbs hadn’t withdrawn until the teacher began helping Tenzō calm down. 

“It’s just, who could’ve guessed that we would ever have another Mokuton user in the village?” Minato lets out a weary sigh. 

“Maybe I should try to send word to Tsunade,” Jiraiya ponders out loud. “She’ll know the most about it. Although maybe I should go in person, that kind of information is a little too sensitive to be put in a letter,” he reasons. 

Minato nods his agreement although he’s silently praying that Jiraiya won’t ask him to come along. He’s got enough to do already. 

Thankfully, his former sensei doesn’t appear to be thinking upon those lines.

“Do you think Orochimaru would be willing to come with?” Jiraiya muses. “And what are the chances that he would be allowed to if so?”

“As long as you’re there and promise to keep a watchful eye on him, I think the mission would be approved. I believe that the council is more inclined to trust Orochimaru now considering how cooperative he was throughout the investigations,” Minato responds, only half paying attention to the conversation now as he braces himself for what’s to come.

This is going to take a while. 

And Minato is proved correct as the sun is already starting to set by the time he’s finished speaking to the Academy staff, the Hokage, and everyone in between. They still need to touch bases with Tenzō and his parents soon so as to hopefully prevent another misadventure like this from occurring again. Strategies will need to be implemented in order to keep Tenzō as calm as possible until he gains better control of the Mokuton, and they’ll also need to develop a protocol to follow in the event that those methods are unsuccessful. 

Minato yawns as he draws closer to his apartment building, vaguely noticing the rudimentary chalk drawing of some kind of made-up creature drawn right in front of the path leading up to the entrance. It must be the work of some of the children who live in the building or possibly some of the neighboring ones. He’s too tired to speculate any further. 

However, the sight that greets him upon opening the door brings him to a complete stop. The wooden floor is covered in ink-black footprints, the marks outlining a clear path down the length of the hallway. 

Looking up and down the corridor, Minato desperately wants to believe that the prints have resulted from the actions of a particularly obtuse and careless tenant. But all the evidence seems to point in the opposite direction. Upon closer inspection, he notices that the marks are much too large to belong to any human being and bear six toes instead of the usual five. 

And from the floor above him, Minato can hear the thundering sounds of something very large moving about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minato can’t seem to catch a break, can he?


	29. To reflect off the planes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato learns of the more destructive tendencies of certain youkai.

As exhausted as Minato feels, he still has the wherewithal to recognize that it would be inadvisable for him to go upstairs and confront whatever creature is roaming around on his own. Now he hasn’t met very many youkai, just Kakashi, Tsubame, and the little fox boy. But even from the floor below, Minato senses that this one is different. 

This one gives off an aura that feels almost like malice.

There seems to be no sign of a disturbance aside from the footprints, so Minato wagers that the other tenants in the building should be safe in the amount of time it takes for him to find backup. And he remembers Kakashi previously mentioning that most spirits tend to leave average humans alone anyway.

So it’s with a drained groan that he turns on his heel to step back outside. Minato makes his way over to the Hatake clan grounds, knocking on the front door without any care about the time. 

It’s Sakumo who answers the door, looking quite perplexed to see him standing there.

“There’s a youkai wandering around my apartment building, and I think it might be one of the not-so-nice ones,” states Minato in lieu of a proper greeting. 

Sakumo raises an eyebrow. “That sounds like a problem.”

Kakashi pokes his head out into view. “Hmm, that’s rather unusual. What did it look like?”

“I didn’t actually see it,” Minato admits, now wondering if he’d acted a bit hastily. “Just its footprints, a lot of them actually. And then I came straight here.” 

But Kakashi is unfazed by Minato’s lack of concrete information. “Well, let’s go see then,” he replies, seeming oddly chipper for this time in the evening. He steps under Sakumo’s arm and past Minato to head out into the night. 

Minato frowns, not knowing what to make of this eagerness but also feeling reassured that he’s being taken seriously. Sakumo simply shrugs and makes to follow the youkai, and the three of them set off with Kakashi leading the way. 

It isn’t until they’re halfway to his apartment that Minato realizes he never told Kakashi where he lives. For some reason, he’s not even remotely surprised by this. 

They arrive at the apartment building, and Minato is relieved to find that the situation appears to have remained stable in his absence. In fact, the only difference he can see is that the chalk drawing from before has apparently been washed away. 

“Where did you say the footprints were?” Kakashi asks Minato as he unlocks the front door.

Minato swings the door open wide. “Trust me, you can’t miss it.”

Sakumo’s eyes widen at the sight of the dark footprints blotting the floor. Kakashi, who is now inspecting one of the marks, looks as though he’s just had a suspicion of his confirmed. 

“I didn’t go any further, but I did hear it moving around up there,” Minato adds, pointing at the ceiling. 

“Lead the way,” remarks Kakashi, his expression quite serious now. 

They’re greeted with the exact same sight upstairs, footprints littering the wooden planks like splotches of ink. But there’s nothing else, no massive youkai lumbering around as Minato had initially expected. 

Kakashi strides down the length of the hallway, examining the wooden panels carefully before turning around to address the other two. “So,” he states offhandedly. “I can tell you that the youkai here earlier is gone now.” 

“For good?” Minato asks even though he knows that things are never that easy. 

Kakashi shakes his head. “Hardly. Once a youkai enters a home, it’s usually rather difficult to remove. This one is likely laying low for now, and it’s definitely one that you don’t want to run into.”

“So what happens next?” Sakumo cuts in, looking quite concerned about the prospect of a dangerous youkai roaming free in the village. 

“I think I might know what we’re dealing with,” Kakashi muses, turning to Minato. “Did you see any graffiti anywhere around the building when you first came home?”

“Actually,” Minato remarks with surprise, remembering the chalk drawing from earlier. “There was something before I came to get you. But it’s not there anymore. Did the youkai leave that?”

“Not every scribble left by a spirit actually means something, but we should come back in the morning to check. I’ll be able to know for sure what we’re dealing with then,” Kakashi clarifies, the floorboards creaking as he walks back over to where Minato and Sakumo are standing. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Minato mutters as he suppresses a yawn. He’s more than ready for this day to be over. 

But Kakashi isn’t finished just yet.

“One more thing,” he adds, “I would recommend against you staying here for the time being.”

Minato feels his heart sink. “Why? And what about everybody else in the building? Are they safe?” 

“The rest of the humans here should be fine for at least a few days. You, on the other hand, run the risk of turning into a midnight snack should the youkai return while you’re asleep,” Kakashi answers as straightforward as always. 

Minato sighs, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. He can’t really argue with that. “Okay, but I still need somewhere to sleep. I can’t ask Kushina, she’ll want to know what’s wrong with my place.”

“We could release a swarm of insects in your apartment, so you could tell her that you have a bug problem” Kakashi suggests, his tone of voice implying that he is completely serious about the idea.

Sakumo shoots him an exasperated look. “Or you could stay at the clan compound,” he offers. “You could take a room in the main house. And one of the smaller houses should also be suitable for visitors. Those might be a little dusty, but that can easily be fixed.” 

Minato can only blink in response, a bit dumbfounded by this unexpected display of hospitality. 

“Just grab everything you’ll need for a couple of days and we can go,” Sakumo instructs in a patient tone. 

Clearly he must look as pathetic as he feels because Sakumo decides to take even more pity on him. 

“We’ll wait outside,” he assures Minato as he seizes Kakashi by the shoulder and begins to steer him outside.

Once at the Hatake clan compound, Minato elects to take one of the small cottages located around three hundred yards away from the main house. It’s likely that decades have passed since the cottage was last inhabited, but it’s still fully equipped for visitors. A few creative applications of a wind jutsu later, and the little house is just about sparkling. 

Although Minato is fairly certain that Sakumo and Kakashi would be courteous and welcoming housemates, he just wants to have some space and silence after a day like this one. But first, he needs sleep

Upon waking up the next morning, Minato’s first order of business is to send word to Rin and Obito informing them that their training session for the day has been canceled. The next thing he does is return to his apartment building along with Kakashi and Sakumo for further investigation. 

And sure enough, the drawing is back once more. The illustration is a simple one that resembles something that a child would create. It depicts a creature with a blocky L-shaped body, two arms, and two legs. The drawing is fairly unadorned as well, only including a pair of eyes and two concentric circles on the creature’s chest area. 

Following a closer inspection of the graffiti, the visible portion of Kakashi’s face twists in irritation. “I was right,” Kakashi declares disdainfully. “This spirit is called Karime. Once he finds a house he likes, he moves in and brings misfortune to the current residents in hopes of driving them away.”

“What exactly does he do?” Minato asks, now concerned about the welfare of the others in the building.

“Karime will start by damaging property,” Kakashi waves a hand at the grassy area in front of the building, “like trampling flower beds or upending gardens. Then he’ll eventually cause illness and injury to befall the house’s inhabitants.” 

“And can we stop him?” prompts Minato.

“He’ll need to be exorcised. But there will likely be some collateral damages,” Kakashi warns. 

While certainly not ideal, Minato can’t allow a malicious spirit to sabotage his neighbors either. “I suppose I’ll have to deal with it.”

“Well, that’s settled.” Kakashi’s tone gives Minato the impression that he isn’t quite seeing the full picture though. “First, we’ll need to set up a room.”

“We can go to my apartment,” Minato responds, already searching for his keys. “You can let me know which one works best.” 

As the three reach the second floor of the apartment building, Minato catches a slight movement from the corner of his eye. He turns, almost involuntarily, and finds himself face-to-face with the most grotesque entity that he’s ever laid eyes on. 

The creature is a muddy brown and easily reaches seven feet in height. It has a pair of small beady eyes in its head, but the majority of its facial features are located elsewhere. On its torso are two massive eyes, a nose, and a gaping, drooling mouth filled with huge square-shaped teeth. 

He’s frozen for a fraction of a second before two pairs of hands yank him backward. The three sprint down the hallway towards Minato’s apartment which is thankfully located in the opposite direction from the ravenous looking spirit.

Minato unlocks his door as swiftly as possible, slamming it shut once all three are inside. 

“What do we do?” Minato is almost shouting from shock now.

“We can do it right here,” Kakashi answers, gesturing to an empty patch of floor in the living room. “But a human has to perform the exorcism. It can’t be me.” 

“I’ll do it,” Minato volunteers before Sakumo can even say anything. “This is my apartment building after all.” 

While Sakumo’s expression suggests that he’s tempted to argue, the obvious time limit at hand appears to discourage him from doing so. 

Meanwhile, Kakashi carries on with the instructions. “So you’ll need a brush, some ink, and quite a bit of paper.” 

“I’ve got plenty of that, what's next?” Minato emerges from his office, brush and ink in hand as he carries a thick bundle of paper wedged underneath one arm.

“Cover the floor with the sheets of paper.”

Sakumo takes the stack of paper from Minato and begins scattering the sheets so that they form a layer on the ground. 

“Draw two concentric circles on the paper, ones large enough to stand in. Write the characters for exit on either side of the inner circle. Have the second character face the door because you’ll want the spirit to step on it when he enters.” 

Minato does so, feeling a bit thankful that the exorcism at least involves materials he already possesses. After he’s done with that, he looks up to see that Kakashi has unlocked the deadbolt on his front door, opening it ever so slightly. 

He turns to address Minato once more. “Then you have to kneel in the middle of the circles so that you’re also facing the door. Place the handle of the ink brush between your teeth and wait for the youkai to enter the room.”

As Minato gets into place, Kakashi settles into a crouch slightly behind him and to his right. On his left, Sakumo does the same. 

The three shinobi still abruptly as an unearthly cackle echoes down the hallway. 

_“There you are…”_

The sounds of heavy footsteps begin to grow louder.

“Once Karime comes in, command him to leave.” Kakashi’s voice is much lower now as they all listen for the sprit’s approach. “If all goes well, Karime will be exorcised once he crosses into the circle.” 

“How do you know all this?” Minato mutters back. 

Kakashi predictably doesn’t respond.

_“I’ve been chased out before, I won’t let it happen again!”_

“He’s almost here,” Kakashi whispers. 

The door creaks open, and the monstrous being folds and unfolds his distended body in order to fit through the doorway. With another guffaw, he staggers towards the three of them. 

“This place is not yours. Leave!” Minato orders with as much force as he can muster.

Karime continues forward, but Minato remains steady. 

As the youkai crosses the outer edge of the seal, a vision that does not belong to Minato flashes before his eyes. But he ignores it in favor of the chaos currently unfolding before him. 

Because beams of white light burst from underneath Karime’s foot the instant he touches the seal. An unseen force appears to be pulling the youkai into the ground, sending the sheets of paper flying into the air. And all the while, Karime is howling and writhing as he begins to disappear amidst the blinding light. 

_“I’m falling, I’m falling,”_ he shrieks before vanishing completely in the intensifying light. 

“Get down!” Kakashi suddenly shouts, and they all dive to the ground. 

It feels as if the air inside could no longer be contained by the room itself, leaving the windows the only point of escape. The ensuing blast shatters every single pane of glass, propelling countless shards and scraps of paper through the window.

Once the light has dimmed, the three of them carefully get to their feet as dust and more bits of paper slowly rain down from above. 

The room is in absolute disarray. Aside from the windows, the walls are cracked and riddled with holes. The door has been blown off its hinges as well while all the furniture inside displays varying degrees of damage. Minato turns on the spot slowly, taking it all in. 

Sakumo claps him on the shoulder. “Well, at least you already have that house set up.”

But Minato barely registers his words, still staring at the destruction in abject horror.

_How is he going to explain this to his landlord?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As quite a few of you noticed after the last update, this chapter featured the youkai from Season 2, Episode 10: “Temporary Home” in Natsume's Book of Friends. Unfortunately, the collateral damage of Karime is a bit more problematic for renters.


	30. Of the weather worn stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Obito receive some specialized training.

It turns out that having Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang himself, the hero of the Second Shinobi War, speak to your landlord on your behalf is a huge point in your favor. 

In any other scenario, Minato is certain that he would’ve been kicked out of his apartment before even getting the chance to plead his case. His landlord had never been particularly enthusiastic about Minato researching fūinjutsu in the building in the first place and would likely have jumped at any opportunity to evict him.

But Sakumo had stepped in before Minato could even do anything, immediately providing an explanation to his landlord who had rushed upstairs after the exorcism rocked the entire building. Sakumo had apologized profusely, claiming that the explosion and the resulting damages were entirely his fault as several exploding tags had inadvertently fallen from his pack when he was opening it.

He had delivered this lie with such confidence and conviction that Minato himself could have taken it as the truth if he hadn’t actually been there. And even if his landlord had possessed any reason to doubt Sakumo, Minato suspects that he would’ve had little inclination to argue against one of the most famous and powerful shinobi in Konoha. 

Something that also helped was Sakumo assuring his landlord that he would cover the cost of all the necessary repairs and even compensate him for the inconvenience. His landlord had little grounds upon which to argue as a result of this, meaning that Minato would be permitted to resume living there once the repairs were complete. 

Once his landlord had left to contact the necessary repairmen, Minato began to thank Sakumo fervently. But the clan head had brushed off his words of gratitude, citing that Minato wouldn’t have had to deal with youkai in the first place if it hadn’t been for him and Kakashi. He instead instructed Minato to gather as many of his belongings as he needed, informing him that he was welcome to stay at the Hatake clan grounds until the damages to his apartment were repaired. 

And to top it off, Sakumo even offered to take over his duties as a jōnin-sensei for the next week so that Minato would actually have the chance to sort out this mess and work on something for once. 

Minato had accepted this proposal gratefully as he himself had been contemplating the idea of having another shinobi serve as a substitute teacher for a short while. So much of Minato’s time had been dedicated to teaching, leaving him with few opportunities to address his other obligations.

He might have considered asking Jiraiya to stand in for him if it weren’t for that fact that his former sensei can hardly stand to be in the same room as either of his three students. Either way, Sakumo’s offer is extremely welcome, especially with all of these recent developments. And if Minato has enough time, he might even be able to get to work on the youkai circle. 

So while Kakashi and Sakumo are setting out for the training grounds, Minato remains at his desk inside the cottage as he tackles some of the paperwork he’d been neglecting. Sakumo had informed Minato that his plan for the coming week was to teach Rin and Obito the basics of kenjutsu, his own area of expertise, as well as some general weapons training.

Minato just hopes that Rin and Obito aren’t too intimated by the war hero.

________________________

Sakumo suppresses a laugh upon seeing the stunned expressions on Rin’s and Obito’s faces. It can best be described as a combination of astonishment, awe, and the slightest bit of terror.

He wonders what stories the two genin have heard about him.

“Hello,” he greets them. “Since Minato has quite a few things to deal with at the moment, I’ll be taking over your training for the next week.”

Sakumo didn’t think it was possible, but Rin and Obito look even more surprised now.

“I think we all know of each other,” Sakumo continues, hoping that he’ll be able to get them to relax. “But I don’t believe we’ve formally met. So I’m Sakumo, Kakashi’s father.” 

Rin and Obito murmur out their introductions in turn, appearing marginally less petrified now.

“Just to get a sense of where you are, the two of you have learned how to tree walk and water walk, correct?” he asks. 

Both genin nod, but Sakumo notices that Obito looks a bit sheepish as he does so.

Kakashi picks up on this as well.

“Obito _almost_ has water walking down. He just takes an unexpected plunge every once in a while,” Kakashi explains.

“That’s completely fine,” Sakumo assures Obito whose face has reddened significantly at that. “That’s more than enough for what we’re planning to do.”

Rin pats her embarrassed teammate on the shoulder in a consoling manner. 

“This week I am going to teach you kenjutsu,” Sakumo announces as he unstraps his own tantō from his back.” As he does so, he sees Obito’s eyes widen in fascination at the sight of his signature sword. 

“The tantō is one of the most commonly used weapons among shinobi. Now you might never end up carrying one yourself, but it can still be beneficial to know the basics of how they’re used,” he explains. “And of course, learning how to defend against one is just as important.”

Sakumo gestures to the equipment he brought in preparation for today’s training session. “Don’t worry, I’ve got everything you’ll need.”

He hands each genin a practice tantō to use, taking note of how eager Obito appears in comparison to Rin’s slightly more cautious demeanor. 

Kakashi, meanwhile, has taken a seat underneath what must be his favorite tree in the clearing. As he already knows how to wield a sword, he’ll be participating for demonstration purposes a little bit later. 

“Is this right?” Obito asks, frowning down at the weapon in his hand.

“You’ll want to switch your grip so that your thumb is the closest finger to the hilt,” Sakumo advises as he adjusts the sword for him. “Holding it the other way limits both your reach and range of motion.” 

Rin looks somewhat puzzled at this. “Why is it that a reverse grip is often used for weapons like kunai but not for swords?”

“Good question,” responds Sakumo. “So a reverse grip is generally most effective when grappling or in very close range combat. If you have a kunai, holding it that way can be effective as a defensive tactic or provide you with more power in the case of a downwards strike.”

As Rin listens with rapt attention, Obito has actually retrieved a kunai from his pack to mimic the motions that Sakumo is describing. 

“Oh, I see!” Obito’s face lights up. “A kunai is short enough that it doesn’t make as much of a difference to hold it this way since you’re either close to your enemy or throwing it.”

“That’s essentially it,” Sakumo replies. “Swords allow you to keep an opponent at more of a distance, and a reverse grip generally doesn’t permit you to reap the full benefits of the weapon’s length. You also can’t defend from overhead attacks nearly as well.” 

He indicates his own weapon. “But a tantō is a short sword that can also function as a knife. The grip you use should be guided by your objective, whether your intent is to stab or slash. We’ll be using it as a sword to start off, and that means staying away from the reverse grip.” 

Sakumo next demonstrates a few of the key cutting movements and has Rin and Obito copy the motions with their practice swords. He walks around them as they practice, calling out pointers and making adjustments to their form.

“Use a little less force in your dominant hand, Obito. You should only be guiding the blade. Rin, try using only your left hand for a bit. Can you feel how the weight of the weapon gives it its speed and force?”

Once they grow accustomed to the movements, he’ll bring out a few tatami mats for the two to slice at. Now this weeklong lesson can no way be considered comprehensive training. But if either Rin or Obito ever find themselves on a mission with only a tantō on hard, they will at least be capable of using it without injuring themselves. 

Sakumo ends the day with some brief instruction on the methods for protecting oneself from a sword. 

“If you’re completely unarmed for whatever reason and your opponent is carrying a tantō or a similar weapon, your best chances of survival lie in retreat. Of course, that’s not always possible. You could always be cornered or have somebody that you need to defend.”

Looking tired but nevertheless attentive, the two genin nod. 

Sakumo glances at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, only to find that the youkai appears to be dozing against the tree trunk. 

“If your only option is to engage,” he continues, “do not try to block as it opens yourself up to attack. You can be stabbed without even realizing it, so try to keep your distance and keep moving if possible. It’s best if you can stay out of the way, catch your opponent off guard, and stun them. And if the situation comes to it, don’t attempt to fight for the blade itself. Instead, try to lock down the arm that’s holding the weapon.”

The next few days progress in a similar vein, except Sakumo has Kakashi stand in as an opponent for Rin and Obito once they move on from stationary targets. From there, he has the three of them simulate various scenarios that can occur during a sword fight, recommending certain actions while discouraging others.

“You didn’t need to parry there. Be as efficient as possible in your actions, and avoid unnecessary movement.”

“Keep the sword in front of you this time, there you go! Now close in on him.” 

“Obito, don’t spin around. That only exposes your back to the enemy.” 

“With multiple opponents, it’s often a good idea to switch between them to keep them separated. You don’t want them to converge on you.”

“You have an opening now that Kakashi is in range. It would be a good time to make use of a secondary weapon while his blade is occupied.”

Obito mimes pulling out a kunai from his belt and stabbing Kakashi with it, only for Kakashi to flop face-first onto the ground and remain there. 

Rin and Obito stare at their teammate’s motionless form with identical expressions of bemusement forming on their faces. 

Overall, Sakumo considers these lessons to be going reasonably well.

________________________

Minato has been having a refreshingly productive week thus far.

It had only taken him a single morning to finish sorting out the complications regarding Tenzō. During a meeting with Tenzō’s parents and the school administrators, all three parties agreed that Tenzō would likely benefit from daily meditation to reduce his stress levels until he could control the kekkei genkai. Furthermore, the Academy staff had shared the evacuation plan that they would use in the event that Tenzō inadvertently unleashed the Mokuton at school again. 

With that taken care, Minato could continue working on the youkai circle. And if he’s successful there, he might even be able to renew his efforts towards figuring out the Flying Thunder God technique. That might almost make the destruction of his apartment worth it. 

Either way, Minato is fortunate in that he hadn’t kept anything irreplaceable in his living room. Although, Sakumo has insisted on replacing any damaged furniture anyway and from what Minato can tell, he seems determined to substitute his broken possessions with even nicer ones. 

Kakashi had later informed him that the initial plan had been to minimize the amount of property damage caused by the exorcism. 

“I’m familiar with the kind of destruction that an exorcism causes,” the youkai admitted as workers began to sweep up the glass shards that littered the apartment. “The original idea was to clear one of your rooms of furniture, open the windows to prevent them from breaking, and line the floor and walls with protective wooden panels.”

But of course Karime’s unexpected appearance had prevented that. 

Still, it is reassuring to know that neither Kakashi nor Sakumo intended to cause excessive damages to his home. 

“How did that youkai even get into Konoha in the first place?” Minato asked, realizing that he hadn’t gotten the opportunity to voice that question before. “I thought you said that spirits tended to steer clear of shinobi and hidden villages.”

Kakashi had frowned at that. “That is what usually happens. My best guess is that one of us caught the attention of Karime when we were outside the village, and he simply followed whoever it was back to Konoha. And then he must’ve decided that he liked your apartment building more.”

“So he went to all that effort to trail after one of us and claim a new home, not even considering the possibility that we might have been able to drive him away?” Minato asked with incredulity.

“Karime is one of those spirits who will never learn,” Kakashi answered with a shrug. “He’s been exorcised many times before." 

Minato supposes that at least explains the vision he saw when Karime stepped onto the seal, simply an image of the previous person who exorcised the spirit. 

He scratches out an experimental symbol that he was trying to incorporate into the youkai circle, giving it up as a bad job. However, Minato’s distracted by a noise just to his right. He looks up at the window by his desk and sees Kakashi on the other side of the glass, unlatching and opening it from the outside.

“Doors exist,” Minato states pointedly, but there’s no real heat in his voice. This cottage is Hatake clan property after all, and Sakumo is being very generous in allowing Minato to stay here. 

“Yes, I’ve heard of them,” is Kakashi’s response.

Minato ignores this remark, instead choosing to inquire about the day’s training session. “So how are Rin and Obito doing?”

“Neither are doing terribly,” Kakashi replies, which is his way of saying that his teammates are doing well. “Rin is still neutral towards kenjutsu, but Obito seems quite taken by it. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he were to take it up seriously in the future.”

“That’s good to know,” Minato comments, making a mental note of that for the future. If Obito does decide to pursue this interest, it’ll be easier if Minato already has a list of specialists to refer him to. 

Kakashi sticks his head into the window, craning his neck to get a better look at the stacks of paper cluttering Minato’s desk. “Any progress there?”

“A little bit,” Minato answers with a slight frown. “I think I’ve managed to identify a general concept that would work, but it looks like it could take a while before I get it right.”

A gleam appears in Kakashi’s eyes at this. “So I had a thought,” he declares. “I don’t know that much about youkai related seals, but there are other spirits who do have that knowledge. I could arrange for you to meet them.”

While Minato’s first instinct is to refuse on the grounds that youkai have already brought enough mayhem into his life, something stops him from declining outright. Maybe what he needs is some outside help. This could be a good opportunity to make significant headway on the youkai circle. 

“Well…?” prompts Kakashi.

He also can’t deny that he’s intrigued by the prospect of meeting more youkai. Minato lets out a sigh, hoping that he won’t come to regret this decision later. 

“Sure, why not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have Sakumo coming in for the rescue! Status and resources can certainly come in handy.
> 
> Also, how have I reached thirty chapters? This story is now officially twice as long as what I had initially envisioned.


	31. Before the night begins to settle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato is introduced to the Dog’s Circle.

Eight days after the impromptu and rather explosive exorcism, Minato’s apartment is almost completely back to normal. Once the floorboards are fitted in, all that’s left will be to move all the replacement furniture back inside.

Minato himself looks to be far less agitated after his week off, and Sakumo seems to have enjoyed his brief tenure as a jōnin-sensei as well.

Kakashi is hardly an expert in these matters, but Sakumo had taken to teaching quite well. He did a respectable job of introducing kenjutsu to the two genin and adopting an instructional method that suited both Rin and the slightly over-enthusiastic Obito.

Had it not been for the Second Shinobi War, Kakashi believes that Sakumo could’ve done well as a full-time jōnin-sensei. But that’s beside the point anyway.

Something far more relevant to the matter at hand is the agenda for today. Kakashi has been coordinating with the Dog’s Circle for the past week to arrange a little gathering of sorts. They’ve settled on this afternoon which turns out to be rather convenient timing for those residing in Konoha.

Now that the weeklong kenjutsu training has concluded, both Sakumo and Minato are free to travel outside of the village for the weekend. Team Minato’s regular training sessions are scheduled to resume the following week, providing Rin and Obito with the opportunity to recover from the past week’s intensive instruction.

“So these are the youkai that won’t eat me, right?” Minato asks in a wary voice as Kakashi leads them all towards the meeting site.

Kakashi assumes that Minato is remembering Karime and just how close he had been to the monstrous youkai’s teeth.

“Oh no, a number of them would be all too ready to eat you,” Kakashi answers honestly. “I’ve just told them that they’re not allowed to.”

And that’s as good of an assurance as any considering that none of the other youkai are particularly keen on incurring his ire.

However, Minato’s anxious expression clearly indicates that he doesn’t perceive it this way.

“I’ve known them all for quite a while,” Kakashi elaborates. “Their reliability can be questionable at times, but I can trust them with that at the very least. I gave them the same instructions for Sakumo anyway, and he’s still here.”

Minato nearly trips over a stray stone as he directs an alarmed look in Sakumo’s direction.

But Sakumo simply shrugs in response. “After a while, you just grow accustomed to the reality that there are some youkai who are more than capable of eating you.”

“But on to more important matters,” Kakashi continues, slightly impatient now. “Make sure you don’t tell any of them that you’re working on the youkai circle specifically.”

Although Minato doesn’t appear too pleased about it, he allows the change in topic. “Right, because it’s a forbidden technique. I remember.”

“So take these instead.” Kakashi places a few slips of parchment in his hands, all of which have a number of indecipherable characters scrawled in ink.

Minato examines these pieces of paper with a frown. “What…what are these?” he asks, not recognizing any of the symbols used.

“Standard protective talismans,” explains Kakashi. “They’re used to purify a specific area and drive youkai away. But those are weak enough that they wouldn’t give any of the Dog’s Circle any trouble, even when activated.”

“Oh, I see,” Minato replies, evidently catching his drift.

“Exactly. Show them those instead, and you can ask if they have any advice on how to modify them so that they’ll respond to chakra.”

Minato places the talismans in his pack, taking care to ensure that none of them flutter away in the gentle breeze.

“Alright, this way.” Kakashi indicates for the other shinobi to follow him down to the riverbank.

“So out of the youkai that we’ll be meeting,” Minato inquires, “who should I be asking about these seals?”

A thoughtful look crosses over Kakashi’s face. “I would say that Hinoe would be your best resource for this. Although, it’s possible that a few others could also have some useful input,” he adds.

Kakashi ducks around a large cluster of bushes. “There they are.”

Around ten youkai are lounging in a circle on a small grassy slope that overlooks the nearby stream. The assembled spirits let out a collective shout of welcome as Kakashi approaches. But this cheer quickly morphs into curiosity at the sight of Sakumo and Minato.

“Oh, you’ve found another one, have you?” Hinoe remarks, regarding Minato with an amused look.

“You could say that,” acknowledges Kakashi. “Now what do we have to drink?”

As the mid-ranks begin to show him the various bottles of sake they’ve procured, Kakashi notices Sakumo gesture for Minato to take a seat at the circle. Minato seems to be taking this reasonably well, although it likely helps that most of the youkai here are not terribly shocking in terms of appearance. Kakashi supposes that Chobihige, with his mustache and overly large head, is probably the strangest looking one here.

Regardless, the conversation quickly resumes once they all have a drink in hand. Minato looks slightly self-conscious sitting between the mid-ranks and Hinoe but relaxes noticeably once he retrieves the protective talismans and begins consulting with the other youkai.

Meanwhile, Benio turns her attention to Sakumo. “And you, you’re still around.”

Sakumo appears to be far more at ease than the last time Kakashi brought him out here. “That I am,” he answers casually, taking a sip of his sake.

“You did manage to chase away that pesky little exorcist,” she muses. “I suppose that’s a promising enough sign.”

Judging from Sakumo’s expression, it appears that he doesn’t quite recall the incompetent exorcist that had led him and Kakashi to meet the little fox spirit.

However, his confusion seems to clear after only a brief moment. “Right!” Sakumo answers, the realization dawning on his face. “I remember now. That was five, almost six years ago.”

“Yes, not that long at all then,” the kappa chimes in from across the circle.

These meetings tend to last as long as the drink does, and considering that Chobihige had managed to return with three more casks of sake, it appears that this get-together will likely last throughout the night and into the next morning.

They’ve had quite a large turnout this time with even Misuzu stopping by in the late afternoon. Minato had been shocked speechless at the sight of the colossal bull spirit, but he had recovered quickly enough to be able to ask for his advice on altering youkai related seals.

Kakashi takes it upon himself to thoroughly enjoy the occasion as he’s not had many opportunities to do this lately. Many of the spirits in the Dog’s Circle prefer to give hidden villages a wide berth, making frequent meetings difficult to maintain. So Kakashi allows himself to lose track of the time. He’s only pulled back to the present after Benio gives him a meaningful nudge and points at something on the other side of the circle.

He follows her line of sight, only for his eyes to land on Minato who appears, for all intents and purposes, to be out cold on the grass.

Kakashi sighs and gets to his feet. “How drunk is he?”

Having also taken note of the current situation, Sakumo joins Kakashi before Minato’s unconscious form.

He shoots Kakashi an accusatory look. “I thought you said that you were going to keep an eye on him.”

“Hmm, I did say that didn’t I?” Kakashi responds in a noncommittal tone. “How much did he even have to drink?” he asks, turning to Hinoe.

She gestures towards the four small bottles next to Minato as an answer.

Sakumo blinks, nonplussed. “That’s it? It’s not very much.”

Kakashi holds up a bottle, carefully inspecting the label. “And the alcohol content is rather low as well.”

“That’s really all he had?” Sakumo asks the mid-ranks who nod in confirmation.

“Well, I don’t claim any responsibility then,” Kakashi declares, “I fail to see why it is my fault that Minato has the alcohol tolerance of a small child.”

“Disregarding that,” Sakumo continues with a pointed look in Kakashi’s direction. “What should we do? Are we going to carry him back to Konoha now?”

“I say we wait until he regains consciousness," Kakashi suggests. “If he wakes up in the village after everything that’s happened, he might assume that this was all a dream.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Sakumo asks, slightly doubtful of the wolf spirit’s claim.

“If that’s the case, do you want to be the one who gets to convince him that this,” Kakashi sweeps his hand around the assembled youkai in the clearing, “was real?”

“Okay, we’ll wait here then.”

As he says this, Sakumo stoops over to examine the collection of papers at Minato’s feet. “Oh, it looks like he was working on something else here.”

Kakashi frowns, unsure as to what that could even be. He just hopes that Minato hadn’t started to work on the youkai circle in front of everyone here.

Sakumo takes one look at the parchment and grimaces almost immediately. “You know what, I’m just going to hold onto these for now,” he explains as he starts to pocket the papers.

“Why, what are those?” Kakashi asks, now intrigued.

“I don’t know very much about fūinjutsu,” Sakumo admits, “but it looks like Minato started tinkering with some very volatile elements here. I’ll return them when he’s sobered up.”

________________________

Minato supposes that he’s quite fortunate in that he only woke up with a mild headache in the morning. Nonetheless, coming to is a rather surreal experience given that he’s surrounded by such an eclectic group of individuals. Some of the spirits here merely resemble humans in elaborate dress while others possess features like horns and pointed ears.

But Minato can recall more youkai, ones that no longer appear to be at the circle upon second glance. Those had been especially memorable. One had looked like a living daikon radish wearing a robe; another was absolutely massive and had a bull’s head, jet black skin, and light purple hair.

Had those just been in his head?

“I’m sure this will come to me eventually, but would someone please brief me on what’s happened here,” Minato requests with a sigh.

“I believe you passed your limits on sake earlier.” Sakumo conveys this with a straight face but Minato suspects that he’s on the verge of laughter.

“That explains some of what I recall,” Minato mutters, rubbing his eyes. “So the enormous bull creature, that wasn’t real then.”

Kakashi lets out a snort at this. “No,” he answers, “Misuzu is very much real and would likely be offended that you thought he was a figment of your imagination.”

The wolf spirit is making no attempt to conceal his amusement now.

“He might even be tempted to curse you for that,” Kakashi continues, his voice unmistakably gleeful. “He’s cursed humans for far less.”

Minato hopes Kakashi is just poking fun at him now.

Sakumo rolls his eyes at this, “Alright, let’s give him a break now.”

Unfortunately, it seems as though Sakumo’s mercy has its limits because he then turns to Minato and remarks, “I take it that you don’t drink often. And you’re twenty-two, right?”

“You see, Kakashi spent the past few years giving me quite a bit of trouble,” Minato gripes, the alcohol having limited his capacity to be polite. “I didn’t think adding alcohol to the equation would help in any fashion.”

This of course only opens himself up to more teasing from Kakashi.

“So did you think alcohol would be helpful for missions? Don’t we have a C-rank next week?”

“That’s enough from you,” Minato retorts, trying to ignore Kakashi’s infuriating smirk.

At least Sakumo has the good graces to pretend that he’s not laughing at him.

Now that his memories of the previous day are growing clearer, Minato vaguely recalls making a breakthrough in terms of the youkai seals.

However, he can’t say for certain if the whole ordeal was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trip was a productive one, but Minato is a little more embarrassed for it. 
> 
> Also, have I actually managed to somehow establish an update schedule?


	32. Seeping into the fading sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next few days are a bit of a mixed bag.

Only after returning to Konoha does Minato realize just how productive the entire outing was. Granted, it was difficult to accurately discern the net benefit of the youkai gathering at first. His memories of it had remained hazy throughout the morning, only coming back to him in the early afternoon.

But once he had a clear head and was back in his own apartment, Minato was able to unpack everything that he worked on during the previous day.

Well, that is almost everything.

Minato was apparently in an inventive mood once he was three drinks in and had developed several rather unorthodox seals, none of which could be considered safe to store indoors. As Sakumo had already confiscated said seals while he was unconscious, Minato allowed him to hang on to them for safekeeping.

Considering that accidental activation could be nothing short of catastrophic, Minato is not inclined to bring those particular seals inside his newly repaired apartment. He’ll reclaim them when he actually has the opportunity to work on his many side projects. But for the time being, the seals are currently residing in a lockbox located in one of the empty houses on the Hatake clan grounds.

But before Minato had gotten recklessly experimental that night, he had indeed made several promising breakthroughs regarding the youkai circles. He had hardly expected this to be the case though. Since Kakashi didn’t have much specific input to provide on the circle, Minato had actually underestimated the extent to which the other spirits could help him. As it turned out, they had quite a bit to offer.

Hinoe was especially helpful, even sharing with Minato a few scrolls from her own personal collection. While not particularly familiar with either chakra or its function in fūinjutsu, she was able to indicate several key sections of youkai related seals that were most receptive to additions and alterations.

Before, Minato would tack on various conduits and elements to the youkai circle at random, unaware of what features of the seal did what. Now that he has a better idea of how each segment functions, he can form a more defined plan and focus his work on a few fundamental areas.

Three hours of experimenting later, Minato has already been forced to scrap two of his previous plans due to their not insignificant downsides. However, he’s hardly discouraged by this, not when he's made more progress today than in the past few months.

His first idea ended up diluting the circle’s power due to an incompatibility between the seals that he had layered on top of each other. Minato’s second attempt appeared promising at first, but it soon became apparent that his modifications would cause the circle to burn out after only a few uses. And as an added bonus, this bout of trial and error was accompanied by far less disorder than his usual fūinjutsu research.

The overall objective now is to incorporate a construct into the youkai circle so that it will essentially remain dormant until chakra is channeled directly into it. Upon activation, Minato intends for the seal to project a nearly imperceptible image of the youkai circle onto the ground around the user. So as long as chakra is directed into the seal, it should, in theory, allow someone to see any youkai within approximately a ten-foot radius.

Minato reaches what he thinks can be called success in the late evening with the modified seal remaining stable and performing as expected. The projection of the youkai circle is as subtle as he had hoped, only remaining visible for a moment when first activated. Although, Minato does note that the amount of chakra required for the seal to function is rather sizable, far more than he had anticipated. But this seal is for Kushina’s use after all, and Minato surmises that she could activate the youkai circle for hours on end without even breaking a sweat.

However, Minato realizes that there is a new issue at hand. When it comes to his creations, he generally prefers to run each seal through a trial period in order to determine its efficacy. In an ideal situation, Minato would be able to do the same here before handing the youkai circle over to Kushina.

But this is not an experiment that Minato can easily run trials for seeing as he’d rather avoid revealing the existence of youkai to those not already in the know. And testing the seal’s effectiveness on either himself or Sakumo would, unfortunately, tell him nothing since the two of them can already perceive youkai unaided.

He’ll give himself another week and a half to try and figure something out. But if Minato can’t come up with any alternatives in that time frame, he’ll just have to give Kushina the youkai seal and hope for the best. Either way, that all will have to wait until he’s returned from the team’s latest mission.

While Minato isn’t sure of the exact number of C-ranks that Kakashi has been on, this will only be the second for Rin and Obito. Their first had been rather uneventful, just a routine assignment in which they had apprehended a group of thieves who were disturbing a small village sixty miles southeast of Konoha.

In contrast, their present mission will be taking them outside of the Land of Fire itself. Their client, a local shopkeeper by the name of Misato, is actually a citizen of Konoha herself. However, she has an aunt and uncle who live in the Land of Rivers and run an inn in the small mining town of Sannozuka. And as her relatives intend to expand their establishment, Misato is sending over a shipment of high quality finished lumber as a gift to them.

Minato’s team has been assigned to guard the shipment to the inn and to assist with construction once they arrive. As missions go, this one looks to be a rather straightforward and simple one. There is the possibility of some conflict, but whatever they face should be limited in scale.

They will, however, be a little closer to the Land of Wind than is generally advisable for Konoha shinobi. While none of the shinobi countries have ever been on fantastic terms historically, the relationship between Suna and Konoha has contained a bit more vitriol than that of other nations.

But it shouldn’t be a pertinent issue either way. Even though Sannozuka is somewhat close to the border, Suna itself is located much deeper into the Land of Wind. And from what the mission directives have stated, the chances of them running into another village’s shinobi should be nearly nonexistent.

The next morning sees them leaving Konoha with the shipment in tow. Their party is a sizable one, consisting of four shinobi serving as escorts and eight civilian workers managing the cargo. Larger groups can often be cumbersome for travel, but Minato doesn’t mind. In this particular situation, their numbers seem to be functioning as an effective deterrent to those who might’ve otherwise been inclined to give them trouble.

Thankfully, the paths are navigable even with large quantities of lumber in the picture. They reach the Land of Rivers within two days and begin to enter the rockier, more mountainous regions of the country after three. Four days have passed by the time they reach the valley that serves as the northern entrance into town.

Walking along the valley floor, Minato suspects that a river had once flowed between the two cliffs. The earth underneath his feet is cracked and dry while the bases of the two cliffs show signs of weathering that are consistent with flowing water. The valley itself is not particularly long, less than two miles in length, so their party reaches the inn in under an hour.

Once there, the civilian workers deposit the shipment and depart while the shinobi introduce themselves to the innkeepers, Etsuko and Shohei. It very quickly becomes obvious that the community does not see many shinobi as Misato’s aunt and uncle appear quite taken aback by how young Rin, Obito, and Kakashi appear.

The two take the surprise reasonably well, however. Shohei quickly defaults back to his businesslike demeanor as he outlines their plans for construction and the roles that each of them can take. Etsuko proves to be a capable overseer, but Minato soon learns that she’s also rather insistent on cooing over his students whenever she’s around them.

Despite this, they’re able to remain professional for the most part as they get to work laying down roof shingles, fitting wooden panels, and reinforcing the structural beams. Although, Minato does notice that all three of his students tend to look for the nearest large object to hide behind whenever they see Etsuko coming. Even Obito is beginning to look overwhelmed by the near-constant displays of affection.

And thanks to their collective experience from D-ranks, none of them are unfamiliar with construction work. Shohei had installed the framework of the new wing beforehand, so they’re able to complete their section in a matter of days.

Still, Minato can’t help but feel that something is afoot throughout their time in Sannozuka, that there is some sort of hidden agenda at play here. He doesn’t suspect Etsuko or Shohei though. The two of them are far too open to be concealing something like that, and the client for this mission lives in Konoha anyway. That leads Minato to believe that the deception lies elsewhere. However, nothing is amiss just yet, so there’s nothing left to do but to bid the innkeepers goodbye and set off in the direction of Konoha.

It’s late afternoon by the time they reach the valley, the setting sun casting much of the area in shadow. None of them are particularly inclined to engage in conversation given that the four of them are rather weary and quite eager to return home at this point.

“Do you smell something?” Kakashi asks out of the blue, breaking the silence as they trudge along the valley floor.

Obito lets out an impressive yawn. “No, and I don’t know how you can smell anything with that mask. But miners use a bunch of different materials and chemicals don’t they?”

“But why would there be a smell over here?” Rin ponders with a frown. “The mines are to the southwest of town.”

“It could be anything then,” Minato replies as a feeling of unease begins to overtake him. “Let’s just keep moving.” The sooner they leave the happier he will be.

The four have reached the center of the valley when it happens.

Two explosions sound in unison with an earsplitting crack, one at each end of the valley.

Shards of rock immediately begin to crumble and splinter from the sides of the two cliffs, obscuring the valley’s entrances in smoke and rubble. All four of them stop in their tracks, Minato turning on the spot in search of some kind of explanation. But it doesn’t stop there. Two more explosions go off slightly nearer to them this time, and Minato understands what’s happening.

It’s a chain reaction, one leading right to the middle of the valley where they are.

Minato scans the surrounding cliffs, searching for any possible means of escape even though he doubts that any exist. Each subsequent explosion draws closer and closer, and from the looks of it, the entire valley will soon detonate.

Whoever is behind this has planned it well.

They mean to trigger a rockslide so immense that even experienced shinobi will be hard-pressed to escape. Scaling cliff faces would normally be child’s play, but not when nearly every solid surface has been charged to explode.

_They’re going to die here._

Well, all of them but Kakashi. As a youkai, he’ll certainly remain unharmed, but there’s nothing that can be done for the rest of them.

Minato turns to look at Obito and Rin who are frozen in place, their faces clouding with fear and dread as the next round of explosions begin.

Kakashi only lets out a displeased huff as he’s suddenly enveloped by a cloud of smoke. The other three jump back in surprise, watching in astonishment as an enormous white wolf emerges from the mist.

Rin lets out a startled scream. Obito turns white as a sheet.

“Just get on and I’ll explain later!” the transformed Kakashi growls, his voice now several octaves lower. 

Kakashi’s true form may be massive, but Minato doubts that the youkai will be able to adequately shield them from the final blast. And even if he tries to climb out of the valley with them on his back, they'll almost certainly be hit by debris anyway.

But he heeds the instruction nonetheless, leaping onto the wolf’s back with Rin right on his heels. Obito, however, still seems incapable of movement.

The wolf spirit makes a sound of impatience and grasps the boy firmly but carefully in his jaws. With a toss of his head, Kakashi flings him onto his back so that Obito lands to the left of Minato with a startled yelp.

Kakashi roars over the sounds of the shattering stone. “Whatever you see or _don’t see,_ do not let go!”

“Make sure they don’t let go!” he orders Minato.

Not inclined at all to argue, Minato nods and throws his arms around Rin’s and Obito’s shoulders for good measure.

As the explosions begin to close in on them, the wolf spirit raises himself onto his hind legs as if preparing to lunge.

And then he pushes up off the ground, soaring straight up into the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it looks like the cat is out of the bag again…


	33. It shades the scenery in muted hues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Minato sorts out the pressing issues at hand, Kakashi endures far too many questions for his liking.

As they rocket upwards, Minato shouts out a few choice words that he normally wouldn’t have used in the presence of children. 

_Since when could Kakashi fly?_

They’re around ninety feet up in the air when the final explosions rock the earth below them, emitting a massive mushroom cloud of smoke that obscures much of the valley itself.

Kakashi climbs even higher, and the four of them are suddenly surrounded by a puff of mist that dissolves as abruptly as it had appeared. Given the absolute mayhem occurring around them, Minato might have disregarded this entirely and assumed that they had simply passed through a low altitude cloud. 

However, Rin’s and Obito’s reaction leads him to believe otherwise. The two gasp almost immediately and look down in panic as if they can no longer see the enormous wolf they’re holding onto. 

“Where did he go?” Rin shrieks, her voice filled with alarm as her eyes dart around anxiously.

Obito, on the other hand, has yet to say anything and looks like he might actually be on the verge of fainting. 

Minato tightens his hold on the two of them for good measure before he responds. “He’s still there!” he shouts over the sound of the rushing wind. “Just hold on and be careful!” 

Fortunately, neither of them need to be told twice. 

Still, Minato isn’t sure as to why Obito and Rin appear unable to see Kakashi now when they didn’t have an issue before. He had initially assumed that the two were also capable of perceiving youkai given how they responded after Kakashi’s transformation. That no longer appears to be the case, however.

Is it possible that Kakashi deliberately made himself visible to them while they were in the valley? Minato remembers Kakashi mentioning that while it was rare for humans to perceive his true form, he did possess several other guises that could be discerned by just about anyone.

Kakashi only flies for around seven more minutes before beginning his descent towards a small forest approximately thirteen miles east of Sannozuka. The immense wolf touches down with a surprising lightness, letting his momentum carry them forward a few more steps before coming to a complete stop. 

He then turns his head to face the passengers on his back, regarding the three with a huge golden eye.

“Alright, all of you get off,” Kakashi grumbles. 

Although the wolf spirit sounds benign, they slide off his back the second he says so. None of them require any additional chiding, not when Kakashi currently possesses teeth large enough to bisect a grown man.

Obito takes a seat as soon as his feet hit the forest floor, and Rin, ever the supportive teammate, rushes over to make sure he’s alright. 

After ascertaining that his students are both physically fine, Minato turns to Kakashi and finds that he’s already turned back into a silver-haired shinobi child. 

“Well, someone clearly wanted us dead,” Kakashi comments in a far too nonchalant tone. “Although, the methods were somewhat crude.”

However, Minato can easily pick up on the underlying meaning in his words, and it’s not an implication that he’s particularly fond of. Considering where they currently are, there aren’t many parties that would wish harm upon Konoha shinobi. 

Because of this, his next words are rather hesitant. “I’m almost certain that Suna still bears a grudge from the Second Shinobi War,” Minato acknowledges. 

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Kakashi pipes in. “Sakumo has mentioned that he’s still not allowed to set foot in Suna.” 

That actually sounds quite odd to Minato, and it looks as though Rin and Obito also agree. Even for a shinobi as notorious as Sakumo Hatake, that’s still a rather severe restriction during a time of peace. 

“Well,” Kakashi clarifies, taking note of their confused expressions, “it’s more that it just wouldn’t be worth the hassle of every shinobi there trying to kill him the second they laid eyes on him.” 

While that sounds far more characteristic of Suna, Minato still finds it unlikely that they would go to such lengths just to target a small team of shinobi. This was a highly coordinated effort that could’ve only been executed with prior knowledge of their mission.

Minato shakes his head slightly in agitation. “Whoever was behind this scheme was quite invested in it. And it would’ve worked if wasn’t for-” he cuts himself off, suddenly recalling another major revelation of the day. 

“Have you always been able to fly?” Minato asks, turning back to Kakashi. “And why am I only learning about this now?”

Kakashi, unabashed as ever, simply shrugs. “The situation never warranted it before. A life or death situation seemed serious enough to justify revealing that among other things.” 

Minato can only roll his eyes as Kakashi turns to gesture towards Rin and Obito. “While we’re on that note, I was thinking that genjutsu could be an option, but…”

“You know what,” Minato interrupts, already feeling a headache coming on, “I’ll leave that to you.”

Kakashi looks a little surprised by this. “Is that so?” he inquires. 

“There are some pressing matters that I need to attend to,” Minato points out, “like figuring out who wanted to blow us all up. Just stay here, keep an eye on those two, and I’ll go sort this out.” 

“I suppose I can do that.”

________________________

It’s not until after Minato departs that Obito fully recovers from the shock.

“Are you a summons?” he exclaims as soon as Minato is gone, rounding on Kakashi in excitement. 

“What?” Kakashi scoffs, “No.” That’s certainly one of the more foolish assumptions he’s heard. 

“Is your shapeshifting a kekkei genkai?” Obito asks, not missing a beat, “Oh, is it a Hatake clan thing?” 

On second thought, maybe it was better when Obito didn’t talk. Kakashi has clearly underestimated the boy’s capacity for stupid questions. 

Rin thankfully chooses to cut in with a comment that is actually sensible. “You’re not human,” she concludes, a contemplative look in her eye. 

“Correct,” he answers, turning his attention to her instead. 

Kakashi had considered hiding this from them, possibly with a genjutsu or just through excessive lying. But Rin’s proven herself to be sharp enough, and informing the two about youkai could make things quite interesting. 

_Hmmm, how best to say it then?_

“Let’s just say that the tales of folklore hold far more truth than they seem,” Kakashi divulges, all the while watching carefully for their reactions, “especially those pertaining to youkai.”

Understanding slowly dawns on Rin’s face. “So that’s what you are,” she murmurs as Obito splutters in disbelief. “And how exactly did you end up here?”

Considering that this is the fourth time that Kakashi has had to explain his existence to shinobi, he decides to provide Rin and Obito with a rather abridged account of his exploits. “I met the Hatake clan years before Konoha was even founded, and I later came back to find only Sakumo,” he begins, condensing what must be at least sixty years of events into that one sentence. 

“His wife had recently given birth, but neither she nor the child had survived. I decided to stay in the village, and we decided that the best way for me to do that was by pretending to be his son,” Kakashi finishes, hoping that the two were able to follow along.

Both look as though they have more questions, but Rin seems to recognize that Kakashi isn’t interested in sharing more on that particular topic. 

“You became invisible as we were flying, but it seemed like Minato-sensei could still see you. Why is that?” she asks while Obito nods in earnest from behind her.

Kakashi sighs. It looks like the explanations are still far from over. 

“A great deal of spiritual power is required to see youkai. It’s an ability that’s rare among the general population and even rarer for shinobi. Sakumo and Minato are the only ones in Konoha who can actually see youkai. Back in the valley, I layered a henge over myself so that the two of you could see me then.” Kakashi details this information as if he’s ticking off the items on a list, hoping that it’ll be enough. 

Rin directs a slight frown at him. “How can you use chakra if you’re a youkai?” she asks. 

“It’s a bit of a long story,” Kakashi answers with yet another sigh. “The short story is through a combination of natural energy, chakra theory, studying, and practice. If you really want to know, I might explain later,” he adds. 

“Wait, is this why you wear a mask?” Obito jumps in, looking as though he’s had some great epiphany. “Is your face not normal because you’re a youkai?” 

Kakashi can’t quite believe that this is Obito’s takeaway from all of this. 

“No, that’s not it,” Kakashi explains with a sense of patience he didn’t realize he possessed. “It’s just a face and not even a real one at that.” 

“Really?” asks Obito, his eyes wide with curiosity.

“Or I could be lying,” Kakashi comments, not quite able to resist the urge to mess with Obito a little. “Human faces are difficult to mimic. Maybe there is no face underneath my mask,” he suggests offhandedly. “This is only a form after all.” 

“So that giant wolf, that’s what you really look like?” Rin mutters quietly. 

Kakashi nods in response. “But I frequently take on other appearances like this human one.”

“Oh, what other forms do you have?” Obito asks, lighting up in excitement.

From there, Obito spends the remainder of the time attempting to convince Kakashi to show them one of his other disguises and does this up until Minato returns several hours later.

________________________

It’s early evening when Minato finally gets back to them, and they’ve taken refuge underneath a medium-sized tree in the meantime.

“And what did you decide?” Minato asks meaningfully as he walks over to where the three are sprawled on the grass.

Kakashi presumes that he’s trying to speak as ambiguously as possible in case he hadn’t decided to inform Rin and Obito about youkai. “I told them,” he replies, stretching as he gets to his feet. 

Minato raises his eyebrows at that, glancing at the relatively calm Rin and Obito. 

“I assumed that it would be useful information for them to know should missions like these become a regular thing,” Kakashi answers with a shrug. “That way no one needs to panic if I get stabbed or something like that.”

The expression on Minato’s face suggests that he’s vividly recalling the circumstances that led to his own discovery of youkai. 

But he shakes his head and moves on. “Anyway, it turns out that I was on the right track.”

Rin, Kakashi, and Obito all look towards Minato with interest.

“The perpetrators were a group of warmongers originating from the Land of Wind, but none of them are directly affiliated with Suna,” Minato begins. “Anyway, they thought that a large scale conflict was something they could profit from.” 

He seems mildly irritated as he says this and Kakashi assumes that extracting this information had severely tested his patience. 

Minato lets out a long exhale, still appearing slightly exasperated. “They found out about our mission because Etsuko was apparently quite excited about the whole thing. She naturally told anyone who would listen that there would be a team of Konoha shinobi arriving in Sannozuka to aid with the construction of their inn.”

“Speaking of which,” Minato frowns as he goes on a slight tangent, “that’s something we should take up with our clients more. They don’t need to remain completely silent about missions, but it’s probably best if the knowledge of the assignment itself is limited to as few individuals as possible.” 

“I’ll make a note so that we mention it in our mission reports,” Rin chimes in helpfully. 

Minato smiles in thanks before continuing. “Moving on, once they realized that Konoha nin would be coming, that bunch waited in Sannozuka for us. And as we were busy helping Shohei and Etsuko at the inn, they then spent the next few days planting black powder and other explosives all throughout the valley.”

“I get it,” Obito says quietly, wearing an uncharacteristically somber expression. “Once we left back through the valley, all they had to do was to set off the explosions.” 

“Konoha would’ve come looking for us if we didn’t come back.” Rin continues his train of thought. “Would they have set traps for the search team as well?”

Minato nods grimly in response. “Not only them but also for the next team that came to investigate. After enough iterations of this, Konoha would probably have assumed that Suna was behind it and made a formal accusation. And given the history between the two villages, I doubt that Suna would’ve taken it well.”

“So for as foolish as the group’s motivations were, the plan itself was one that was likely to succeed,” muses Kakashi.

“Yes, it seems that way,” Minato grudgingly admits. “There is a possibility that Suna could prove that they had nothing to do with it, but I think there’s a good chance that they would have simply escalated the situation instead.” 

“What did you do with the culprits then?” Kakashi asks, noting that Minato had returned alone. 

“After I got answers from them, I rounded them all up and dropped them off in Sannozuka so that the village head and his guards can keep an eye on them,” Minato explains. “No one there is particularly happy with them. Not only did they destroy one of the main entrances into town, they did so using black powder that they had stolen from the miners.” 

The jōnin runs a hand through his hair, looking rather weary from the day’s events. “Once we get back, Konoha will also need to send word to Suna to inform them of this incident. While the Kazekage certainly doesn’t hold any warm feelings towards Konoha, I highly doubt that he would appreciate anyone trying to stir up a war on his behalf.”

“So we can leave now?” Obito asks, standing up with a yawn. 

“We’re ready to go,” Minato confirms. “It’ll take us a while to get back. Although,” he continues pointedly, “there is a way that we could return much more quickly…”

Kakashi shoots him an unimpressed glare. “Fine,” he huffs before transforming into a twenty-foot tall wolf, making sure to include the henge again.

“This can be to commemorate a one of a kind mission,” Minato suggests as the three vault onto the wolf spirit’s back for the second time that day. “It’s not often that you potentially defuse an international conflict during a mission.”

“I wouldn’t be so confident about that,” Kakashi comments matter-of-factly, his voice now gruff and resonating. “You might be surprised.” 

“If that isn’t a joke, I don’t want to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now all of Team Minato is in on the secret!


	34. Swiftly shifting to an inky black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are a few things to address after the mission.

For obvious reasons, writing up the mission report proves to be quite the complicated matter. Minato had already sent a brief notice to the Sandaime about the trap and attempted plot to frame Suna upon returning to Konoha, but the four of them are still required to write up a comprehensive account.

And as they will no doubt be forced to omit certain key details of the assignment, they gather at Kakashi’s home to ensure that their stories all align.

After a brief discussion, they decide to report that the four of them had grown suspicious and instead sent out a team of shadow clones into the valley beforehand. Once the clones had dispersed amidst the explosions and the ensuing rockslide, Minato had rounded up the perpetrators while the other three waited outside of the village.

With that settled, all that’s left is for them to add in the remaining details and fill out the standard identifying information. They spend the next few minutes working quietly until Kakashi breaks the silence.

“How old am I supposed to be?” Kakashi asks out loud. “I’m twelve now aren’t I? Or is it thirteen?”

Minato puts down his pen to stare at Kakashi. “I genuinely don’t understand how you’ve managed to keep your identity a secret for so long,” he says, shaking his head in disbelief. “How do you keep saying things like that and still get away with it?”

“Wait, how old are you really then?” Obito interrupts, his eyes lighting up.

“Older than everyone in this house combined,” Kakashi declares offhandedly.

“Anyway,” he turns back to Minato as Obito presumably begins to mentally calculate the ages of everyone present. “It’s all about the existing expectations. I think there was really only one instance in which our conduct truly came under question.”

Minato blinks, “Do I even want to know what that was?” he asks while Obito nods vigorously in the background.

“It’s not even a big deal," Kakashi shrugs. "Because there was no available teacher for me once I became a genin, I was allowed to take assignments with Sakumo in the meantime. The Sandaime had likely intended for this to apply to lower level missions only, so he was naturally displeased upon finding that I had accompanied Sakumo on an S-rank assignment.”

“Fortunately, there weren’t any repercussions aside from the Hokage’s disapproval. And Kakashi ended up getting promoted to chūnin because of it,” Sakumo elaborates, walking into the room with a bowl of sliced fruit in hand.

“Also, you’re twelve,” Sakumo advises Kakashi as he sets the bowl down on the table. “But you’ll be thirteen before too long.”

“That explains so much about your shinobi profile,” Minato mutters under his breath. “And I’m guessing that was why I was called in to be a jōnin-sensei so early.”

Sakumo tries to hide his smile as he leaves the room. “Well, I suppose that’s the case.”

Minato lets out a resigned sigh before turning his attention back to his report. However, he’s evidently distracted by another thought seeing as he puts his pen back down after only a minute of writing.

“That reminds me,” Minato speaks up, regarding his three students sitting around the table, “we should be trying to get all of you promoted fairly soon.”

The three of them look up at this pronouncement, Rin and Obito with surprise and Kakashi in interest.

“Is there a certain age at which it’s supposed to happen?” Kakashi inquires, his curiosity slightly piqued. “Since Academy students tend to graduate between the ages of eight to twelve and all.”

“Not exactly,” replies Minato. “In terms of becoming a chūnin or jōnin, hidden villages usually seek to promote their shinobi as soon as they meet the qualifications.”

Of course that would be the protocol. Kakashi should’ve expected nothing less from the village that made him a genin at age five.

“If we’re going by that, a promotion is very much overdue,” he remarks matter-of-factly. “I met the requirements before there was even a village to speak of. But how does one become a jōnin anyway?”

“First of all, there are field promotions which, of course, are far more common during an ongoing conflict,” Minato begins, leaning back in his chair.

“For you, there is a simpler method. As your sensei, I would put forth a recommendation for promotion and have Sakumo back that up.” Minato gestures in the direction of the elder Hatake. “Then it would be up to the Hokage to either grant or deny the request.”

“Although,” Minato adds, “it’s possible that he would have you run through a few aptitude tests first since you would be the youngest jōnin in village history if promoted.”

“Really?” Kakashi says, his expression amused. “I would have two records to my name then.”

“It’s worth mentioning that I generally wouldn’t suggest for a family member to vouch for you on account of your supposed age,” Minato elaborates. “The arrangement might seem to lack impartiality, but I think we can get away with it in this case.”

Kakashi nods in agreement. “Because Sakumo is an honorable fool and everyone knows that."

“I heard that!” Sakumo calls out from the next room.

“You say that as if I care,” Kakashi retorts.

Minato elects to ignore that exchange and moves on to the next topic. “On the other hand, there are still Rin’s and Obito’s promotions to consider.”

Rin looks up from the apple slice in her hand, her expression concerned. “But since Kakashi is already a chūnin now, how will we enter the Chūnin Exams?” she asks. “You have to enter as part of a three-man team, don’t you?”

“That is true,” Minato acknowledges. “We would need to find a third genin who isn’t already part of a team, likely an early graduate from the Academy.”

“I’m so nervous about the whole thing” Obito groans. “You’re so lucky Kakashi, you didn’t have to go through the exams. Sensei, could you-”

“Accidently take you and Rin on an S-rank mission?” Minato cuts Obito off. “Since I’d like to avoid getting court-martialed, the answer is no.”

Obito deflates slightly at this, and Kakashi can’t resist the opportunity to poke a little fun.

“You should be able to pass as long as you act like a selfless fool,” he chimes in facetiously. “That seems to be the standard that Konoha holds its shinobi to nowadays,” Kakashi continues, smiling as he ignores the unimpressed looks that Minato and Sakumo are throwing his way.

After having revealed his true nature to Rin and Obito, Kakashi is almost surprised by how little impact it’s had on his relationship with them.

True, they were unquestionably shocked after he first transformed, especially Obito. But in retrospect, that may have resulted more from the stress of a near-death experience followed by an unexpected voyage through the skies.

And the two of them had also been taken aback by his banter with Minato at first. Before, Kakashi was required to maintain the pretense of a somewhat respectful student-teacher relationship when in the presence of his teammates. But now that they’ve fully abandoned that charade, Rin and Obito have since grown accustomed to their back-and-forth.

All things considering, Kakashi supposes that not much has changed from Obito’s and Rin’s perspective. For years, they’ve known that Kakashi was an extremely powerful and peculiar shinobi. That much is still true, and they now know the reasons behind it.

Still, Kakashi could certainly do with fewer questions from Obito though. The Uchiha was a little disheartened about not being able to see youkai as the idea of spirits and mythical entities excited him. Minato was quick to assure him that the ability to see youkai only encouraged them to pester or eat you, but Obito hadn’t seemed convinced.

And while his disappointment eventually abated, it was unfortunately replaced by a sense of enthusiasm that manifested itself in the form of far too many questions. Minato had done something similar at first, but he at least had reasonable queries whereas Obito manages to find the most ridiculous topics to bother Kakashi about.

Rin, thankfully, has adjusted to these developments gracefully. However, it does seem as though she sometimes forgets that Kakashi isn’t human. Every now and then, Kakashi notices her startle whenever his status as a youkai is alluded to.

It only takes them fifteen minutes to finish writing out their mission reports, after which Rin and Obito depart for their respective homes. However, Minato hangs back to make a request of Kakashi.

“So you’re looking for youkai that are preferably small and won’t cause any harm to humans?” Kakashi asks, frowning slightly as he considers this odd inquiry.

He can only assume that this has something to do with the youkai circles that Minato has been experimenting with.

Minato nods intently, “If that’s possible and if you can bring them into the village.”

Definitely to do with the youkai circles then.

“Hmm, I’ll see what I can do,” Kakashi replies with a shrug.

He can probably find a few spirits who won’t take offense to the forbidden techniques.

________________________

The next morning, Minato arrives at their usual training ground and finds that he is not the first one there.

There are two creatures, presumably youkai, who look as though they’re patiently waiting for someone.

Both are quite small for spirits at only around a foot and a half in height. Both also resemble rabbits. One spirit is light brown and wears a pink and white robe that has holes cut in its hood to make way for its ears. The other has white fur and is dressed in a light brown kimono and pale haori.

“Hello!” the hooded one chirps as Minato approaches.

“Hi,” Minato replies, slightly hesitant in his confusion. “What, what are you doing here?”

“Madara-sama asked us to come!” the white rabbit chimes in.

It takes a moment for Minato to realize who they’re referring to as his first instinct was to think of Konoha’s traitorous founder. However, he quickly recalls that Kakashi’s youkai friends had referred to him by that name. That piece of information had been only one of the many surprising developments of the day, so it had quickly slipped his mind.

Either way, Minato hadn’t realized that Kakashi would’ve acted so quickly on his request. But it’s fortunate that he was already carrying a few copies of the youkai circle. He’s about to introduce himself to the spirits when he hears Kakashi’s voice from behind him.

“So you’re testing out the youkai circles, aren’t you?” Kakashi calls out as he approaches.

“That’s right,” Minato confirms. “Since Rin and Obito can’t see youkai on their own and already know about them, I thought that the two of them could be test subjects for the seal. And from there, all I needed was a youkai.”

Kakashi’s perplexed frown is not the reaction that Minato was expecting.

“So you just needed any youkai to test it out then,” Kakashi says, glancing towards the rabbit youkai. “You do realize that I could’ve filled in for this.”

“What do you mean?” Minato stops in his tracks to stare at Kakashi. “The seal’s influence only extends to around a ten-foot radius. Your wolf form is significantly larger than that.”

“Yes, but that isn’t a fixed element,” Kakashi responds with the air of someone explaining concepts to a small child. “I can make myself small enough to fit inside a single room or be as large as a house.”

“Why didn’t you say so before?” Minato asks, already feeling his blood pressure beginning to rise.

“You never asked,” Kakashi shoots back, completely unbothered. “I assumed that you wanted to test the circle on other youkai as some kind of control group.”

“When do you ever answer questions though?” Even though Kakashi’s assumption had been a fairly reasonable one, Minato chooses to focus on the other matter at hand.

Kakashi rolls his eyes. “Most questions are stupid, that’s why I don’t respond,” he scoffs. “But if you don’t ask them, how am I supposed to know if they’re inane or not?

Minato feels a strong urge to scream at the sky, but the arrival of Obito and Rin distracts him from this feeling of frustration.

After a quick explanation, both of his students readily agree to participate in the test. He then hands each of them a seal and instructs the two rabbit youkai to stand in front of them.

“Alright, just take the youkai circle and start channeling your chakra into it…”

“Oh, there it is!” Rin nearly drops the seal in her surprise but smiles upon studying the spirit more closely. “It’s kind of cute.”

It’s difficult to read the hooded youkai’s expression, but it doesn’t appear to be offended at the very least.

“Wow!” Obito exclaims, looking between the two spirits in fascination. “So this is what it’d be like.”

The white rabbit youkai regards Rin and Obito with amusement. “Are all humans so easily entertained?”

Obito turns to Minato in excitement. “Can I keep this?”

Minato does end up allowing them to hold onto the seals, but only after they’ve promised to not use it unnecessarily. Just one use of the youkai circle had significantly depleted their chakra stores, and it wouldn’t have taken many more to drain them completely. However, Obito and Rin know that there’s no point in using the seal in Konoha after all, and Minato trusts in their sense of self-preservation.

Regardless, the experiment has made it clear that Minato’s altered youkai circle does indeed work as intended. And with that, it means that there’s no need to delay things any longer.

So that’s why Minato now finds himself in Kushina’s home, nervously fidgeting on the couch with her sitting across from him. Kushina looks slightly confused, but that’s likely due to the fact that they’ve been sitting in relative silence for the past few minutes.

He had asked Kakashi to meet him here, but he’s evidently running late. Whether the wolf spirit has been delayed or is purposely tardy, Minato doesn’t know. Either way, he might as well get on with this.

Minato takes a deep breath as a knock sounds on the front door.

“Kushina, I have something to tell you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kushina is in for quite the surprise.


	35. That overcomes the glowing yellows and reds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The whole ordeal somehow plays out better and worse than Minato had expected.

“Kushina,” Minato begins, even as he hears the sound of a second knock hammering at the door, “what would you say if I told you that there are things out there that most people can’t see?”

He knows Kakashi is waiting outside, but Minato was worried that if he didn’t say it then he would never be able to.

Kushina’s normally expressive face is unreadable, and she studies him for one long moment before answering.

“Where, where are you going with this?” she asks slowly with the air of someone choosing their words very carefully. “Is this your way of telling me that you’ve started hallucinating?”

“No, I-” Minato gets out before he’s interrupted by a third and even more forceful knock.

He sighs, getting to his feet. “Sorry, I should get that.”

Feeling the uncomfortable weight of Kushina’s gaze on the back of his neck, Minato walks over to the door and opens it to reveal Kakashi standing there with the little fox spirit in tow.

“Hi!” chirps the fox boy, his cheerful disposition in complete contrast to Kakashi’s mildly exasperated countenance.

Minato smiles briefly at the fox youkai before turning to Kakashi. “You’re late,” he hisses under his breath, trying to keep his voice low so that Kushina can’t make out his words.

Unfortunately, Kakashi has no such concerns. “It’s only because _somebody_ got distracted by the food stalls on the way over here,” he complains quite loudly. He punctuates this remark with a pointed look at the fox boy who smiles sheepishly in response.

“Alright, that doesn’t matter.” Minato exhales in an anxious huff. “Get inside, both of you.”

The two youkai follow him inside and into the living room. Kushina, meanwhile, wears the expression of a woman who isn’t sure whether her boyfriend has lost his mind or not.

And Minato certainly can’t blame her for that.

First, he had phrased his words in a way that made it sound as though he was experiencing delusions.

Then there was Kakashi’s arrival. Kushina has to be wondering why Minato had decided to invite one of his students for what seems to be a serious conversation between the two of them.

And lastly from her perspective, it must also appear as though Kakashi is currently holding an extremely excitable fox under his arm.

“Hello… Kakashi,” Kushina greets him without taking her eyes off of the fox spirit that entered with him.

She stares for only a few more seconds before turning to Minato with a questioning glance.

Minato takes that as his cue to pick up where he left of. “Back to what I was saying,” he continues, feeling more than a little flustered at this point. “So there are entities out there, ones that are invisible and pass among others undetected.”

“Like ghosts?” Kushina replies, her eyebrows rising even higher.

Minato winces at how poorly this is all going. “Not exactly, but that’s closer.”

He throws a frantic look in Kakashi’s direction. “Are you going to help me explain at all?” Minato asks the wolf spirit. He’s not quite desperate yet, but any aid would be greatly appreciated about now.

Kakashi, however, is completely unsympathetic to Minato’s plight. “Do you know how many times I’ve had to do this already?” he grumbles as he takes a seat on one of the armchairs in the corner of the room. “You’re on your own for this part.”

There’s an immature part of Minato that is itching to argue back, but he quickly reminds himself that it would be prudent to clear the air before Kushina thinks that he’s utterly lost his mind.

“Okay, moving on,” he says with an already weary sigh. “I think it’s best if I show you.”

Kushina’s answer is a single “Alright…,” but Minato hardly expected anything else given the stage they’re at.

Minato gestures for the fox spirit to stand in the center of the room before taking out a copy of the youkai circle and handing it to Kushina.

“If you channel chakra into this seal, things will start to make a little more sense.”

The look she gives him is somewhat doubtful, and Minato assumes that this is due to the fact that she’s recognized a number of the elements and matrices he incorporated into the seal. But she follows his instructions nonetheless, carefully placing the palm of her hand onto the slip of paper.

Even if Minato hadn’t already tested the circle’s efficacy with Obito and Rin, Kushina’s reaction would be a surefire indication that it worked. With that alone, he knows that she’s viewing the fox spirit in his true form.

“What!?” she all but shrieks in surprise at the sight of a young child, one with a pair of fox ears and tail no less, appearing in place of the small forest creature that had been there mere seconds before.

“Youkai,” Minato says simply as her head whips between him and the fox boy in confusion. “They exist, and I can see them.”

The expression on Kushina’s face now consists of nothing but shock. “You can’t be serious.”

“Spirits are real,” Minato states once again. “There’s not many around Konoha, and very few people can actually see them.” He takes a deep breath at this. “But I’m one of them. That seal, however, allows anyone to see them.”

While Minato had half-expected a more explosive response from Kushina, he isn’t complaining about her quiet contemplation. He can almost hear the thoughts whirring in her mind like gears as she analyzes all of the information she’s been provided with thus far.

“As unlikely as this all sounds, I can tell that this is no illusion,” she finally declares, gesturing towards the fox spirit in front of her. “And this,” she continues, holding up the seal that she’s still conducting chakra into, “also suggests that what you’re saying is true.”

Kushina studies the seal carefully, frowning a little as she does so. “I don’t recognize the main figure you’ve used, but this section here is projecting that image outwards,” she explains, tapping the inked lines with her finger. “This seal caused me to see something different when I activated it, a kid with fox ears instead of the regular fox that was there before. So it matches up with what you’ve told me.”

And with that conclusion, she looks back at Minato and smiles. “Okay, then. I believe you.”

It’s now Minato’s turn to be taken aback.

“What?” he asks incredulously. “That’s it?”

Kushina laughs. “What else is there to say?” she asks as she gets up to give Minato a hug. “It turns out that you’ve got one really weird secret, but you’re still you.”

As he wraps his arms around Kushina, Minato can scarcely believe this is happening.

“And it seems like you spent a lot of time working on this seal so that you could tell me this,” she guesses, stepping back to look him in the eyes. “This is what you’ve been working on, right?”

“Yeah,” Minato replies, feeling almost out of breath as he runs a hand through his hair. I was thinking that if you wanted to use the youkai circle on a daily basis, we could probably alter it so it could be drawn on skin like a temporary tattoo. I’d appreciate your input on that though.”

“Sounds like a fun project-” she begins to reply before cutting her sentence short, realization dawning on her face.

“Wait a second, you followed me before, didn’t you?” Kushina directs this question to the little fox who has been waiting there patiently throughout their entire conversation.

The little fox startles slightly before nodding in earnest. “Sorry! I saw you that day and just thought that you were really interesting and strong.”

He sounds somewhat nervous as he speaks, but Kushina practically coos at his answer. “I can’t be angry at that. Oh, you’re just too cute!” she exclaims. “What’s your name?”

The fox boy appears quite perplexed at this question and begins to fidget as if he’s not sure how to answer such a question.

“Do you not have a name?” Kushina asks, looking around at all three of them in disbelief. “How does he not have a name?”

“Every entity has a true name,” Kakashi chimes in, and Minato nearly jumps in surprise due to how quiet he’d been for the past few minutes. “But not every youkai has a name for others to call them by.”

“So can I give you a name then?” Kushina addresses the little fox eagerly.

A look of bewilderment crosses over Minato’s face. “Is, is that okay to do?” he asks hesitantly, looking towards Kakashi for guidance.

“There’s no problem at all with that,” Kakashi answers, sounding rather unconcerned about the matter. “I myself have gone by various different names throughout the years.” He gives a noncommittal shrug at that. “And if you’d like to get technical, the name ‘Kakashi’ is just one that Sakumo gave to me.”

“Great!” Kushina cheers, clapping her hands in excitement. “I like the name Menma.”

“Kushina, I-” Minato starts to say but his words are drowned out by her enthusiasm.

“Your name is Menma,” she informs the fox youkai who looks nothing short of delighted at this pronouncement.

The newly dubbed Menma beams back at her. “I like it!”

Kushina smiles with the young spirit before she’s distracted by another thought. “Wait a second.” She pauses in her tracks and turns back towards Minato. “What does Kakashi have to do with this again?”

“Oh, we did leave out that part of the explanation,” Minato mutters, remembering that he hadn’t actually mentioned the very specific role that Kakashi plays in all of this.

“_You_ left that out,” Kakashi reminds him unhelpfully.

“Kakashi is a youkai who’s pretending to be Sakumo’s son so that he can stay in the village with him,” Minato explains dryly. “He can also transform into a wolf, but only in times of emergency apparently.”

Kushina considers his words for a second but evidently decides that it’s better not to dwell on them. “It sounds like there’s a long story behind that, and one that nobody clearly wants to explain to me now,” she concludes after neither Minato or Kakashi offer any additional information.

However, her cheerful mood is undiminished. “But that’s okay! This is so exciting! Just when I thought things were starting to get boring…”

Minato shakes his head slightly as if attempting to clear his thoughts and looks over to see Kakashi yawning like he was forced to endure an exceptionally boring affair.

Behind him, he can hear Kushina conversing animatedly with Menma. “So you were here in the village. What have you done so far?”

“Oh, um, we went up to that mountain, the one with all the giant faces in it.”

“That’s it?”

Menma nods.

“That’s nothing!” Kushina declares suddenly, tucking the youkai circle up her sleeve so that she continue channeling chakra into it. “Come with me!”

She all but charges out the door with Menma hot on her heels. And after a brief moment of consideration, a mildly interested Kakashi trails after them as well.

“This may have been a mistake,” Minato mumbles to himself as he watches them go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Menma won’t exactly be establishing residence in Konoha, but he’ll definitely be stopping by much more often!


	36. A shadow illuminated by a sliver of moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several conversations are had, from promotions to graduations and much more.

Sakumo isn’t exactly sure how it’s come to this.

Somehow his home has been transformed into a base of sorts, one that serves as a meeting place for Kakashi, Minato, Rin, Obito, and occasionally even Kushina. Although Sakumo supposes that it’s a fairly natural progression, all things considering.

Minato has always been leery of discussing confidential topics out in the open, despite the number of times that Sakumo and Kakashi have told him that his concerns are inconsequential. The village has long since learned that listening in on Kakashi’s conversations is a highly inadvisable endeavor detrimental to one’s peace of mind, but Minato still cringes every single time the subject of youkai is brought up in public. At this point, he even considers the training grounds to be too risky for such conversations.

On the other hand, it does make sense for Minato to be taking extra precautions now that his girlfriend and his students are involved in this whole affair. And since most of the stress in the young jōnin’s life can be traced back to Kakashi, Sakumo has no issue with everybody congregating in his dining room every once in a while.

As the one who initially invited Kakashi to stay in Konoha, it’s the least that he can do.

That’s how it had all started anyway. Now, it appears as though the group is beginning to gather at his home for more mundane matters as well.

Although Minato had given his students the day off from training, he had still asked them to meet briefly in order to discuss the new developments regarding their upcoming promotions. Sakumo certainly understands the necessity of these conversations, but he’s not sure how the four ended up convening in his living room on the couch opposite him.

“There really hasn’t been a push for Academy students to graduate early for quite some time,” Minato explains to Obito and Rin. “Right now, it looks like the next batch won’t become genin for another two to three years.”

“So does that mean we’ll have to wait that long then?” Rin asks, looking slightly worried at the prospect.

Obito appears just as concerned by this. “And what if those graduates are already on their own three-man teams by then?”

“It won’t come to that,” Minato assures them. “There are two, maybe three students who are considering early graduation, but it’s a toss-up at the moment. If one of them does graduate, we’ll see whether or not the three of you can train together as a team.”

“And if not?” prompts Rin.

“Then I’ll see if we can try for a field promotion,” Minato replies. “We might be able to arrange a sequence of B-rank missions to serve as a test instead. That’s only as a last resort though,” he tacks on upon catching the hopeful look in Obito’s eyes. “I’d much rather you two enter the exams.”

There isn’t much left to discuss after that, and Minato dismisses his students shortly after so that they can resume their daily activities. Rin and Obito set out after bidding them all goodbye. And after hearing the door close, Sakumo assumes that Minato has left as well until a startled squawk catches his attention.

“What are you reading?” Minato splutters as he stands in front of the door, pointing incredulously at the book that has appeared in Kakashi’s hands.

Sakumo frowns, trying to make out the title printed on the orange cover. “What does that say? _Make-Out Paradise_?”

Kakashi calmly snaps the book shut and holds it out in front of him so that Sakumo can see the front. “I believe this is what you call ‘adult literature’ or something of the sort.” He chuckles slightly at that. “It’s rather humorous all the same.”

His nonchalance does nothing to temper Minato’s hysterics. “I can’t believe-!”

“Wait, how do you know what that is?” Sakumo interrupts, regarding Minato with curiosity.

Minato instantly turns beet red. “Jiraiya’s the author.” He discloses this as though the words are physically painful for him to say. “He may have asked me to edit some of his works before I told him to take it somewhere else.”

Sakumo raises an eyebrow as he doubts that it’s the full story.

“It’s because I read his first book!” Minato clarifies hastily, still rather mortified. “It was an adventure novel, and Kushina and I really liked that one.”

“_The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_, was it?” Kakashi muses. “It certainly wasn’t bad,” he admits after a moment of consideration. “But I felt that there was a general sense of resignation that pervaded most of the narrative. It seemed to detract from the novel’s intended mood at times.”

The bemused expression on Minato’s face suggests that he was not expecting any kind of literary analysis from Kakashi.

However, Sakumo can attest that Kakashi is a surprisingly avid reader. He had spent much of his spare time pouring through books during his early years in Konoha when he was supposed to be too young to do anything. Sakumo supposes that this was due to the fact that Kakashi had missed out on a lot of human literature when in wolf form. The lack of opposable thumbs or even hands likely makes reading quite difficult.

“I will admit,” Kakashi explains, “I did initially pick up the books thinking that they were something I could use to poke fun at Jiraiya.”

“The fact that you’re laughing at it will probably be insulting to him,” Minato points out. “But in all honesty, just reading it in his presence should be enough to unnerve him.”

Minato frowns a bit after he says this as if wondering why he’s bothering to give Kakashi advice on how to torment his former sensei.

“Well, read what you want,” Sakumo cuts in, “but you can’t take that book out in public for at least three more years.”

“Why is that?” Kakashi asks, looking puzzled as to why that might be the case.

“Because when you’re sixteen, I can plausibly claim to have lost all control over you.”

That’s not really telling him the full truth, but Sakumo isn’t interested in informing him exactly why it’s so problematic for a child to be reading adult material outside in broad daylight.

“If you say so,” Kakashi replies unconcernedly, which is about as close as he gets to agreement.

“That reminds me,” Minato interjects as if he’s in a hurry. “I wanted to mention this to you, Kakashi.”

Sakumo wonders if this is his way of quickly changing the topic or if there was actually something he needed to say.

“Do you remember Tenzō?” Minato asks him. “The one who could grow trees out of nothing,” he adds after Kakashi shows no signs of recognition.

“I guess." Kakashi barely glances up from his book. “What about him?”

Although Minato seems to doubt whether or not Kakashi actually remembers, he carries on nonetheless. “Well, he might be graduating soon. If he does, he may start training with the team so that he can enter the Chūnin Exams with Rin and Obito.”

“Really, that’s the plan for him?” Sakumo remarks in surprise. “I thought that the Academy would’ve wanted to keep him at pace with everyone else.”

“That was initially the idea,” Minato confirms with a sigh. “Even without accounting for the Mokuton, he’s very talented. He’s also quite mature and well-adjusted all things considering.”

Minato’s own worries seem to have taken over now as he begins elaborating in ways that neither Sakumo nor Kakashi asked for. “And he needs one-on-one instruction in order to control his abilities, the kind of attention that he can’t get in the Academy or when he’s on a team with two other genin.”

He doesn’t appear to have noticed that Kakashi’s attention has already returned to the novel.

“But no one wants him to fall behind either,” Minato continues, waving a hand in concern. “So if he’s open to it, we’re considering having him graduate early, try for a promotion, and then train individually under a jōnin. That way he can take as much time as he needs before joining a three-man team.”

“Sounds like a solid idea,” Sakumo comments once Minato is finished speaking. “Who would teach him then?”

After all, it would take an exceptional shinobi to manage a kid with a lost kekkei genkai.

“Tsunade, hopefully,” Minato answers much to Sakumo’s surprise. “Almost no one else in Konoha really knows anything concrete about the Mokuton. Jiraiya and Orochimaru should be tailing her around the shinobi nations about now, trying to convince her.

“I didn’t realize that’s what they left for. Do you think they’ll be successful in getting her to come back?”

Minato gives a noncommittal shrug. “I believe that she will either agree to return or injure the two so severely that they will decide it’s not in their best interests to follow her anymore.”

He turns his attention back to Kakashi at this. “But if this whole thing plays out and is approved, I expect you to be civil. Tenzō has been through a great deal already,” Minato reminds him, his expression stern.

“You’re always thinking the worst of me, aren’t you?” Kakashi’s tone is nothing short of petulant as he sets the book down on the table.

Minato’s long-suffering stare is an answer in and of itself.

“I know I’m abrasive,” Kakashi acknowledges, “but I’m not cruel. Usually.”

Minato doesn’t provide a response to that and merely shakes his head before walking out the front door.

“Shinobi just don’t respond the same way as normal humans,” Kakashi complains as the door swings shut. “It’s not nearly as satisfying.”

“And here I thought you were doing a respectable job of keeping everybody on their toes,” Sakumo replies with a chuckle.

Kakashi rolls his eyes dismissively. “That’s nothing. Your little lives are nonsensical to the point where even the children are already accustomed to the absurdity. The reactions have all been disappointing in comparison.”

“Out of curiosity, what are you looking for?”

“More running and screaming, for one,” Kakashi answers almost immediately. “I’ll never pass up an opportunity to make others cower in fear.”

Sakumo smiles and shakes his head, intending to leave it at that until he remembers something that Kakashi had said earlier.

“Compared to who?” he asks, realizing the implications of Kakashi’s words. “You specifically said that shinobi are disappointing in that matter. So what other humans have you been around?”

Kakashi goes still for a moment before turning to regard Sakumo with a cool stare.

“Hmm, who knows?”

________________________

“I apologize that things didn’t work out with that genin.” Minato’s voice is sympathetic as he addresses Obito and Rin. “And I’m sure that Kakashi is sorry as well,” he continues, throwing a meaningful look in the youkai’s direction.

Their potential teammate had been a ten-year-old genin by the name of Haru. He was impressively agile and had exhibited a good deal of potential once he had decided to try for early graduation. But while he passed the qualifying tests handily, he was still completely unprepared to deal with the likes of Kakashi.

The poor boy had stormed off only ten minutes ago in the middle of their training session together.

Kakashi just stands there in the middle of the clearing with the air of someone who’s trying not to laugh. “Look, if he can’t withstand simple criticism, then he’s in no way fit for a promotion.”

At this point, Minato honestly believes that Kakashi is simply immune to all forms of shame.

“Graduating early hardly means that you’re immune to mistakes,” Kakashi points out. “And the two of you trained with him for almost three days,” he says, turning to address Obito and Rin. “Tell me, did you enjoy working with him?”

“Nope.”

“Not especially.”

Minato sighs. It’s really the only thing he can do now. “Anyway, there might be another genin that could join us soon, so don’t be discouraged.”

However, neither Rin nor Obito seem particularly crestfallen by this setback. They must’ve found Haru more irritating than they initially let on.

“Kakashi,” Minato calls out as he turns to his most exasperating student. “For your jōnin promotion, you’ll be reporting to the Academy four days from today. The Hokage has also requested that you demonstrate several advanced jutsus as part of the test. Do you have some prepared?”

“Of course.” Kakashi looks almost offended that Minato might’ve thought otherwise.

But Minato isn’t fully convinced. “Other shinobi should be able to replicate your techniques in theory. It can’t be a youkai thing, like the one where you call lightning down from the sky or something like that.”

He’s only seen it once before when Kakashi used a lightning strike to incapacitate a group of bandits that he didn’t feel like fighting. The whole thing had looked completely natural, except for the fact that the bolt of electricity had originated from a cloudless, blue sky.

“They have nothing to do with spirits whatsoever,” Kakashi assures him. “Besides, if I show them that, someone might actually figure out how to replicate it someday. You shinobi already manage to pull the most ridiculous abilities out of your-“

“Kakashi!” reprimands Minato.

“What?” the youkai asks, an amused glint in his eye. “You didn’t know what I was going to say.”

But the innocent expression on Kakashi’s face fools no one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One would think that Minato would eventually reach his upper limit of both patience and stress


	37. Disturbed only by prowling eyes and nimble paws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Minato has a little chat before training starts.

“How much longer do you think it’ll take before he gets here?” Rin asks absentmindedly as she ties a blade of grass into intricate knots.

She nudges each of her teammates with her toe after neither elects to respond.

“Who knows?” Obito mumbles as Kakashi shrugs in a noncommittal way.

The three of them are presently lying down in the grass at their usual training ground, waiting for their jōnin-sensei to arrive. Rin seems to be in the process of weaving several pieces of grass together while Obito painstakingly cleans the smudges from his obnoxiously colored goggles.

Glancing over at them, Kakashi lets out a yawn even though it’s far too hot to sleep comfortably out here.

Normally if a team’s sensei was running late, the students might take the opportunity to engage in a little training of their own in the meantime. Two-thirds of Team Minato had done this at first, back when they weren’t sure how long they might be left waiting.

But now that they know that Minato could be running anywhere between ten minutes to an hour behind, the three of them elected instead to use that time to relax. Because while stretching and simple warmups are fine, they still want to avoid overdoing it. Otherwise, they might be too tired for when Minato actually does show his face.

His tardiness had been far more manageable and predictable in the beginning. However, they've now reached the point where Obito is starting to beat Minato to their training sessions.

“Do you think Sensei’s coming later because you’re a jōnin now?” Obito muses, lowering the goggles and angling his head in Kakashi’s direction. “Are you supposed to be teaching us something?”

Obito’s eyes widen slightly as he rolls onto his side, staring at Kakashi with a panicked look on his face. “Is this a test? Are we failing?”

Kakashi’s answer to that is a derisive snort, but Obito seems unsure as to how he should interpret that.

“I’m sure it’s because of the Flying Thunder God technique that Sensei's working on.” Rin is quick to reassure Obito, no doubt attempting to stop him in his tracks before he gets worked up.

“Remember how he said that there’s a lot of problems that can pop up whenever he’s experimenting?” she reminds him, her eyes still affixed to the grass fabrication in her hands, “and that those problems are ones that he needs to fix right away?”

“Oh, right.” Obito breathes a sigh of relief before rolling onto his back again.

As the two fall silent once more, Kakashi debates the merits of moving to a shadier part of the training ground. It’ll certainly be cooler underneath a tree, but the grass is markedly less comfortable there.

Although if taking a nap is out of the question, is relocating really worth the bother?

“I wonder if Sensei needs any help,” Rin muses as she plucks a few more strands of grass from the ground. “I know that we’re not experts on fūinjutsu, but working on such a big project by yourself has to be difficult.”

“Well, you can always ask him if you’re concerned,” Kakashi mutters, stretching his arms out in front of him and holding back another yawn.

Rin shoots Kakashi a look to confirm that he’s not being facetious before returning focus to her craft project. “Alright, I will.”

Obito’s mind is on completely different matters, however.

“Would Sensei be offended if we started bringing snacks to eat as we wait for him?” He wonders out loud. The goggles slip from his grasp as he says this, and Obito lets out a surprised squawk as they smack him in the face.

“As long as you’re not eating an entire meal when Minato-sensei shows up, I don’t think he’d mind,” Rin advises him. “Is your face okay?”

“It’s fine.” Obito rubs his nose and winces. “And I guess you’re right,” he acknowledges, his voice slightly muffled by his hand. “It just gets boring out here.”

“At least we’ve never had to wait for over an hour,” Rin points out. “And Sensei is probably really busy between his research and Kushina."

A confused expression crosses over Obito’s face. “What about her?”

“He told her about youkai, didn’t he?” Rin answers. “Their relationship must be a serious one then. I’m pretty sure that they plan on getting married someday.”

“Really?” Obito frowns, and it’s evident that the thought hadn’t registered before now.

“From what I can tell,” Kakashi chimes in, “you generally wouldn’t share a secret that big unless it was with a life partner.”

Rin nods in a knowing fashion, weaving a few more blades of grass into place. “That’s what I thought too.”

Kakashi closes his eyes as a cloud drifts over the sun, casting some much-needed shade over them all. Provided that the cloud remains there, he might actually be able to fall asleep. However, Kakashi cracks an eye open after Obito breaks the brief moment of silence with another question

“So do you think Minato-sensei will get married first or figure out that jutsu first?” Obito asks as he squints and peers through the lens of his goggles.

“I don’t know,” Rin responds after a moment of contemplation. “Sensei’s around the age that people normally get married, but not everyone is in a rush. Then there’s the fact that he’s trying to rediscover a technique that was only ever used by the Nidaime.”

“We could place bets on it,” Kakashi suggests, idly tracking a dragonfly as it zips around above them. 

Both Rin and Obito go still before regarding him in trepidation. “Would it just be a regular bet or does something like that constitute a formal deal with a youkai?” Rin asks hesitantly.

“Hmm, it could be either,” replies Kakashi, thoroughly enjoying the mild alarm that appears on their faces. “That’s what makes it fun.”

Of course, that’s hardly the case. A verbal agreement with a spirit is no more binding than one made between humans, but Obito and Rin don’t need to know that. It’s nice to be able to keep them on their toes.

And out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi notices Rin subtly shake her head in Obito’s direction as if to say _don’t do it._

“Speaking of youkai,” Obito suddenly exclaims in a dreadfully transparent attempt to change the topic, “I’m still jealous that Kushina can use that seal to see them all the time!”

The matter has been something that has bothered Obito to no end. And now Kakashi and Rin are the ones exchanging sidelong looks because while this is a blatant effort to steer the conversation elsewhere, it’s still a subject that Obito is rather passionate about.

Obito waves his goggles in front of him as he gestures animatedly. Why does the circle have to use so much chakra?” he complains. “It would’ve been nice to be able to see youkai since I still haven’t unlocked my Sharingan and all.”

“For the last time,” Kakashi drones, “there are no other youkai in Konoha or in its immediate vicinity. There’s nothing to see here.”

“But still…” Obito sighs.

Kakashi rolls his eyes. “Spirits are either pests or simply aiming to eat you. You are missing nothing,” he insists.

It’s incredible how Obito frets over imagined concerns while completely disregarding the very real and significant hazards associated with spirits. The Uchiha is almost entranced by the very thought of youkai, and Kakashi would be lying if he said that there was never a moment in which he regretted enlightening Obito.

To be fair, it would’ve been far more of a hassle to keep the existence of youkai a secret from his teammates. But no one else was this annoying.

Sakumo and Rin had approached the matter quite similarly. Once the initial shock had passed, they had gone about the situation in a methodical fashion. Every now and then they're taken by surprise, but their reactions are generally reasonable and measured.

Minato was extremely inquisitive at first, but he gradually began to ask fewer questions after each subsequent response left him more and more unnerved. By the time Minato had started work on the youkai circle, he seemed to realize that the answers Kakashi tended to give were usually detrimental to his own sanity. And even after all these years, it’s still relatively easy to throw him off.

As for Kushina, Kakashi does have to admit that their most recent addition has made things quite interesting. She had thrown herself into the newly discovered world with a sense of enthusiasm that felt unique, even to someone as ancient as Kakashi. Her eclectic tour around Konoha with the fox boy had proved to be a surprisingly entertaining venture. In addition to learning more about several of the lesser-known shops in the village, Kakashi had very much enjoyed seeing landmarks like the stump of the old tree that had nearly fallen on top of Minato when he was only fourteen years old.

Although if Kushina is going to walk around seeing youkai, she does need to know which ones she should steer clear of. That would mean another visit out to the Dog’s Circle is almost certainly in order, but it might be advisable to wait until Minato and Kushina are actually married.

Hinoe has a type after all.

Kakashi rolls over so that he’s lying on his front, face down in the grass. Whether or not he falls asleep, he’s making the decision to not move until Minato gets there.

Of course, that’s when he hears a voice calling out to them down the path.

“I’m so sorry about that!” Minato shouts apologetically, sprinting over to where the three of them are clustered. “I can’t believe I keep making you wait for me.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sensei,” Rin assures him as the other two slowly stretch and get to their feet. “Were you working on the Flying Thunder God technique again?”

Minato smiles sheepishly. “Thanks for being patient, and yes, I ran into a little problem there.”

“Where there any explosions?” Obito asks eagerly, lighting up in excitement.

“Nothing like that,” Minato chuckles. “It’s much more mundane, but a bit trickier to resolve.”

Kakashi wonders if today’s delay has anything to with why Minato is covered in wooden splinters

Rin, however, still looks curious. “So what was the issue this time?”

“Anyway,” Minato carries on as if he hadn’t heard her, “we’re going to have a new genin training with you starting next week.”

However, no one is particularly ecstatic about the news after the last one.

“Oh, is it someone we know?” Obito finally inquires with a somewhat unenthusiastic expression on his face.

“I believe so,” answers Minato, much to Rin’s and Obito’s surprise. “He’s a little younger, but the two of you probably crossed paths with Tenzō at the Academy. If you haven’t met before, he was the boy with the Mokuton you saw that day.”

“What?” Obito splutters. “He’s going to be working with us!”

“Don’t be immature, Obito,” Rin scolds him almost right away. “He could be a good teammate. It doesn’t matter that you think his eyes are creepy!”

As he watches the two of them, Minato seems to deflate where he stands. “Anyway,” he carries on, now with far less energy than before. “Tenzō should be joining us in a week, but I’ve asked him to stop by today so he can meet everyone. He’ll be taking his graduation tests four days from now."

Minato sighs as he regards his students, two-thirds of whom appear apologetic at the sight of his weary expression. “I know it can be difficult to work with someone new, but you’ll need to do this for your promotion. Tenzō is very capable, but he will be expecting the two of you to lead since you have far more experience than he does.”

Rin and Obito nod earnestly as Kakashi pretends not to notice what’s going on.

Minato gives them all a weary smile at that. “Thank you,” he says before noticing Tenzō approaching from the other side of the training ground.

“Just behave!” he hisses at the three of them as he waves the boy over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s hope that everyone can work together.


	38. A flutter of wings and sharp talons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team expands to five as they prepare for the Chūnin Exams.

Minato would be the first to admit that the meeting between his students and Tenzō could’ve played out better. That isn’t to say that it had gone badly.

It just hadn’t gone _well._

In all fairness, Minato should’ve given Rin and Obito advance notice instead of having Tenzō suddenly show up that day. It was fairly clear in the way they had conducted themselves that neither of them expected their newest team member to arrive so quickly.

Obito had seemed incapable of looking directly at Tenzō when he spoke and instead spent the entire time fidgeting with his goggles and pretending to clean off nonexistent bits of dirt.

Rin, meanwhile, had glared at Obito throughout his introduction and for a good five minutes afterward. Her glower vanished by the time it was her turn to say hello to Tenzō, but the irritated look had still remained in her eyes.

And judging from the look of mild alarm on his face, Tenzō hadn’t realized that it wasn’t specifically him that Rin was upset with. He likely left the meeting assuming that Rin either detested him or was simply an irate person in general. That, of course, couldn’t be any further from the truth, but first impressions are often difficult to shake.

By some peculiar and nonsensical twist of fate, Kakashi was the only one who succeeded in introducing himself in an appropriate manner. In all honesty, Minato found it almost eerie to see Kakashi acting nothing but professional as he greeted the slightly bewildered Tenzō.

Unfortunately, Kakashi’s normal conduct had only served to emphasize the strangeness of Rin’s and Obito’s. Minato’s own introduction, while acceptable, was somewhat harried due to the circumstances.

Overall, the affair had been an awkward one.

Tenzō, however, still seems open to joining the team. And by that, Minato means that Tenzō had not immediately gone to the Academy administrators and informed them that he no longer wished to graduate early.

Hopefully, he’ll last longer than the first.

Haru was a bit arrogant and a little oversensitive to criticism, but Kakashi had made it his duty to deliberately wind the boy up throughout those three days. Then again, he may have only taken it to such extremes because of Haru’s slightly condescending attitude towards Obito and Rin.

However, it’s important to note that team dynamics are quite sensitive to changes, especially when young people are involved. Even if Haru had been perfectly polite, things still might not have worked out then.

Minato had even considered not having Kakashi present at all during these training sessions. Part of him strongly suspects that Obito and Rin would have an easier time coordinating with a relatively unfamiliar genin without Kakashi’s disruptive influence.

And it would certainly be easy enough to arrange. Minato doesn’t believe that Kakashi would raise any objections about skipping training for a week or two as the others adjusted. Sakumo had even mentioned that Kakashi could accompany him on his own missions if he grew too bored in the meantime.

Yet for some unfathomable reason, Minato would actually prefer to have Kakashi there. He’s not sure if it’s a youkai related ability or simply down to perception, but Kakashi has a way of discerning the gist of one’s character.

The wolf spirit also possesses a kind of perspective that can only be gained from centuries upon centuries of existence. And whenever Minato has taken the time to sift through Kakashi’s vague and often insulting commentary, the youkai’s insight often becomes surprisingly useful.

So he’ll have Kakashi remain with them for the time being.

Minato just hopes that it’ll go well. It doesn’t even matter if Tenzō gets promoted or not, the exams will be a worthwhile experience either way. It’s just that the boy hardly needs any more difficulties in his life.

Tenzō, fortunately, recalls very little of his early years of life in which he was little more than a test subject. However, the Mokuton is a heavy burden to bear, especially when he has little understanding of how to use it. Tsunade’s insight and guidance could be vital for overcoming that. And although nothing is set in stone just yet, Minato and the Academy staff are hoping for the best.

Just a week ago, Jiraiya had sent him a note stating that Tsunade was beginning to reconsider her stance on returning to the village. But while that is a very welcome development, Minato is not inclined to put too much stock in his former sensei’s words after finding that Jiraiya’s subsequent message was mostly dedicated to complaints about his bruised ribs.

Still, there’s no need for him to get too ahead of himself here as his students and Tenzō could be incapable of working together. So for better or for worse, Minato arrives at the training ground a week later in order to determine if he can successfully wrangle the four diminutive shinobi.

As he waits for each of his students to arrive, Minato finds himself reflecting upon Kakashi’s tried and true talent for angering the various young shinobi he crossed paths with. There was many a time in which he had to physically place himself between Kakashi and whichever child he managed to infuriate.

Minato wouldn’t say that he’s worried about Tenzō growing frustrated with Kakashi or even Rin and Obito. He doesn’t believe that that Tenzō is the type to get riled up, even if Kakashi were to ridicule him. In this particular instance, Minato is more concerned about the possibility of Tenzō feeling dejected if he isn’t able to integrate into their team.

Their second meeting, however, is exponentially better than the first. Minato had expected this to be the case seeing as the bar was set quite low from before. Both Rin and Obito are hesitant but polite, as is Tenzō. This awkwardness puts Minato a little more at ease as it’s the kind that can be remedied by familiarity and proximity. And most importantly, Tenzō appears to have forgiven everyone for their odd behavior a week ago.

What Minato does _not_ expect is for Tenzō to hang onto every word that Kakashi says.

The youkai is more or less his usual blunt, sarcastic self minus the insults. Minato isn’t sure what it is, but something about Kakashi seems to draw the quiet boy in. It’s almost bizarre to watch, but Minato supposes that he shouldn’t be that surprised to find that Kakashi is, in fact, capable of getting along with others.

Kakashi had somehow managed to befriend Obito and Rin, and he was evidently charismatic enough to convince the Hatake clan into making a deal with him. Also, Minato supposes that Kakashi must not be terrible company if Sakumo has kept him around for this long.

And once the issue of coordination is resolved, it appears as though Team Minato is set to make a strong showing by the time of the exams.

Rin, of course, is an exceptional medical nin whose calm disposition makes her especially suited to strategy and planning. On top of that, Rin has shown a great improvement in her hand-to-hand combat skills since she first became his student.

While Obito hasn’t unlocked his Sharingan yet, his fireball jutsu holds an impressive amount of power for a shinobi his age. He can still be unconfident at times, but Minato has noticed that Obito has keen instincts for combat whenever he forgets to be anxious.

As for Tenzō, he possesses a solid foundation in taijutsu, nature transformations, and stealth. His earth and water jutsus are a fitting complement to Obito’s fire nature, and his subtlety suggests that he would make an effective scout or lookout. But since he lacks sufficient command over his kekkei genkai, Tenzō will refrain from its use during the exams.

However, it turns out that not everyone is aware of this.

“Wait, you won’t be using the Mokuton?” Obito asks, a look of dread forming on his face.

Tenzō shakes his head solemnly. “I don’t have enough control yet.”

“We’re doomed,” Obito laments as he holds his head in his hands. “This was going to be hard enough without Kakashi but now-”

“Obito!” Rin cuts him off with a sharp look. “You should be a little more optimistic. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Kakashi lets out a half-amused snort, causing everyone to turn and look at him. “There’s very little point in fussing over how strong others might be or how weak you are in comparison,” he proclaims.

Minato personally believes that the comment is a bit rich coming from him, a formidable wolf youkai who somehow managed to become Konoha’s youngest ever genin, chūnin, and jōnin. But Kakashi seems to be building up to a useful message, so he doesn’t interrupt.

“I’m of the opinion that anyone can be taken down if the right set of circumstances align,” Kakashi continues. “I mean, just look at Danz-”

“Moving on!” Minato declares this a bit too loudly. “What Kakashi is trying to say is that power alone isn’t the most important thing. You’ll need to apply your wits to ensure that you’re using your strengths effectively.”

That’s something else that Minato has had to watch out for, ensuring that none of his students reveal anything that they shouldn’t. Rin and Obito have grown quite accustomed to Kakashi’s inhuman nature while Kakashi himself regularly discloses information that should be left confidential. Minato is constantly readying himself to talk over them or change the subject at a moment’s notice.

As for preparation, Minato hasn’t been aiming to teach the three very many new concepts. Once he’s determined that Tenzō is already able to tree and water walk, he instead focuses on reinforcing the techniques they already know. Overall, Minato has been emphasizing the necessity of thinking critically throughout the entire exam without being too overt about it.

He first has them practice communicating covertly while identifying concealed enemies in the field. Once they’ve achieved proficiency there, Minato moves on to mock battles to ensure that the three are comfortable fighting as a unit and watching each other’s backs. Then he and Kakashi begin to spar with each of them in turn, making adjustments in order to build upon their strengths and cover for their weaknesses.

While Rin can handle herself in close quarters, she won’t fare well against brawlers. She’ll want to fall back in such circumstances so that she can heal herself and the others if necessary.

Obito’s attacks presently hold the most power and range out of the three, but he may find himself struggling against especially nimble adversaries. He might attempt to counter this by striking first or closing his opponents in.

Tenzō, although reasonably well-rounded, is still at a clear disadvantage due to his smaller size. He, like Rin, will want to avoid combat situations that depend heavily upon brute strength.

From there, they cycle through these various exercises in the time leading up to the exams. It may seem as though they’re jumping from lesson to lesson without rhyme or reason, but Minato has purposefully chosen to concentrate on these particular areas.

The specific content of the exams changes each time in order for it to be a complete surprise for each batch of participating genin. However, Konoha does tend to recycle the same themes throughout the respective rounds.

The first stage tends to be a test of intelligence and will, while the second round generally assesses a team’s effectiveness in combat. The final stage, of course, has almost always consisted of one-on-one tournament battles.

Naturally, none of the jōnin-sensei are actually permitted to convey any of this to their students.

On the morning of the first stage, Minato has all four of his students meet at their usual training ground so that he can see them off. It’s not necessary, but Minato felt that they might like to have a bit of normalcy on such a momentous day.

Rin, Obito, and Tenzō are all displaying some combination of anxiety and enthusiasm, the levels of each emotion fluctuating across their faces. Kakashi, meanwhile, alternates between looking bored and offering advice with varying degrees of helpfulness.

After ensuring that the three of them have all of their supplies, Minato only keeps them for a few minutes before he dismisses them. It’s clear that they can only pay so much attention to him in their nervousness.

“Alright then, good luck!” Minato calls out as the three depart.

Next to him, Kakashi raises his hand in an absentminded wave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tenzō is a bit self-conscious about how different he is from everyone else. So when he sees Kakashi, who’s probably the most outspoken, unfazed, and unapologetic person he’s ever met, he naturally gravitates towards him a little.


	39. That relentlessly stalk the darkened hills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Minato tests its skills.

Kakashi is unfortunately not free to go after Obito, Rin, and Tenzō have left.

Instead, Minato drags him along to the Jōnin Standby Station in order to wait out the exams with him and all the other sensei. Kakashi’s presence there is met with several raised eyebrows, but it only takes a few moments for the other shinobi to remember that Kakashi is also a jōnin.

The jōnin-sensei are lounging about the area, several of them socializing while others sit in silence. There’s a mix of men and women here who look to be around Minato’s age or older, and some of them appear to be affiliated with certain clans if the various insignia on their clothing is any indication.

But aside from that, Kakashi doesn’t know who they are nor does he particularly care.

Minato spends a few minutes engaging in small talk with his peers, but he quickly turns his attention back to Kakashi. From there, it soon becomes apparent that he’s taken it upon himself to provide Kakashi with a brief rundown of the exam structure.

“The first stage is usually a written test of some sort,” Minato explains, not even bothering to check if Kakashi is listening or not.

Kakashi rolls his eyes. “Yet I presume that you shinobi have managed to convolute even that,” he remarks dryly.

“Of course,” Minato replies, a flash of amusement in his eyes. “This line of work requires a specific manner of thinking, so we need to teach them to adopt the mentality from early on.”

“Ah yes,” Kakashi intones. “Indoctrination always does wonders on young minds.”

A few of the nearby jōnin-sensei give Kakashi an odd look at that, and Minato, noticing their expressions, swiftly moves the conversation along.

“Circumstances are rarely straightforward,” he points out mildly. “Genin need to be able to read between the lines and to not accept everything at face value.

“Well, I would argue that things aren’t straightforward because you lot have refused to let it be that way,” Kakashi quips back.

Minato ignores that remark, as he’s now beginning to do with many of Kakashi’s side comments.

“Anyway,” he carries on. “This stage tends to be uneventful, but it generally doesn’t last very long. We’ll get to watch the three of them in action for the second stage.”

“Right,” Kakashi drawls, glancing out the window and yawning as he does so.

“Don’t fall asleep.”

Kakashi simply hums in reply.

But true to Minato’s word, a proctor appears at the doorway approximately forty minutes later to confirm the end of the first stage and to announce the names of the genin who have progressed to the next round. Rin, Obito, and Tenzō are among them.

He isn’t terribly surprised that the three of them have passed. Kakashi wouldn’t describe them as natural geniuses, but they’re fairly clever as children go.

After the declaration is made, the jōnin begin to file out of the room, presumably on their way to the venue for the second stage. Minato exchanges a few words with another sensei before gesturing for Kakashi to follow him out the door.

Minato resumes his explanation once the two of them are outside. “So for the second stage, they’ll be pitted against another three-man team,” he says as they fall in line with the other jōnin.

“And where is this to take place?” Kakashi asks, noticing that they’re all heading towards the outskirts of the village.

“The Forest of Death,” Minato responds, looking only a little concerned by this. “The proctors have partitioned off an area for the exam to take place in.”

Kakashi frowns in exasperation. “I still don’t understand what’s so deadly about that place.”

“They should do just fine,” Minato continues, although his tone of voice suggests that he’s trying to convince himself of this. “But it’ll still be okay if they don’t. The members of losing teams can still move onto the third stage and be eligible for promotion.”

“Of course, it would be a shame if they were knocked out early though,” Kakashi muses. “Not only would the three of them be disheartened, it also wouldn’t reflect well on your abilities as a sensei.”

Minato doesn’t respond to that which prompts Kakashi to take his silence for agreement.

From what Kakashi can tell, the match takes place in a designated zone with teams starting at opposite ends of the field. And after observing the first few rounds, he gathers that the objective is simply to beat the opposing team into submission.

Team Minato’s opponents are three boys, all of whom are wearing their forehead protectors like bandanas. And while they look to be of a similar age as Obito and Rin, all three are physically larger than them. One has a large gourd strapped to his back while another wields a sword. The third and largest genin, however, carries no discernable weapon.

Nevertheless, Tenzō, Obito, and Rin appear determined enough as they move into place and wait for the proctor to start the match.

“Begin!”

Obito makes the first move, unleashing a massive fireball that forces the other three genin to scatter. He and Rin charge towards the boy in the center while Tenzō, under the cover of the flames, uses an earth jutsu to burrow underneath the forest floor.

Kakashi doesn’t understand what the purpose of the gourd is, but it evidently doesn’t lend itself to quick movements. The genin dodges the kunai thrown by Rin, but that only moves him directly into the path of Obito’s tackle. And once he’s on the ground, a single punch to the throat is all it takes to remove the gourd boy from the battle.

But now that the initial surprise has waned, the two remaining genin turn their attention to Rin and Obito.

The largest one is just about to lunge at Obito when he’s knocked off balance by several small earthen spears that erupt from under his feet. He whips his head around to see Tenzō just ten feet away from him, disappearing into the earth again. His previous plan now cast aside, the boy pulls out a pair of kunai and begins to scan his surroundings with the presumed intention of pinpointing where Tenzō might spring up next.

Rin is now attempting to keep the genin with the sword at bay, but the boy draws closer and closer despite her best efforts.

The genin is just about to strike when Obito suddenly grabs him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. Rin launches herself at him now that his weapon is immobilized, and the three of them tumble to the ground as one. The other boy is wrestling furiously against Rin and Obito, but Kakashi doubts that he’ll be able to hold out for much longer when he’s outnumbered like this.

Meanwhile, Tenzō has been tunneling through the earth, emerging periodically to strike at the third genin. Kakashi can only assume that the goal of this tactic is to gradually exhaust the large boy from a distance.

Tenzō has managed to remain out of range, but his luck runs out just as Rin’s and Obito’s opponent begins to tire. The large genin seizes Tenzō by the upper arm before he can get away and flings him into the underbrush like a ragdoll. With a kunai in each hand, he stalks over to where Tenzō is groaning and wincing in the dirt.

However, he only makes it two steps before the earth liquefies around his feet, the muddy ground sucking him in until he’s waist-deep. He attempts to pry himself out of the muck, but the members of Team Minato have already surrounded him.

“Well done, all of you!” Minato congratulates his students as they emerge from the forest.

The three genin collectively emit an exhausted groan in lieu of a greeting, their feet trudging along the path.

“It’s a good thing that the third stage isn’t until three weeks from now,” Minato continues, taking note of their weary faces. “Back when there used to be a rush for promotions, they would hold the finals only hours after the second stage had finished.”

Obito shakes his head vehemently. “Oh, I would’ve had to forfeit,” he insists as the other two nod in kind.

“You were right about needing to keep my distance,” Tenzō speaks up, still sounding somewhat out of breath. “There wasn’t much that I could do once he got a hold of me.”

Rin merely sighs as she rubs a large bruise that’s beginning to blossom on her forearm.

Minato, in contrast, appears even more energized in the face of his tired students. “We’ll be jumping back into training as soon as the three of you have recovered. It only gets harder from here since you’ll be fighting one-on-one matches next.”

Even as the dismayed expressions begin to form on his student’s faces, Kakashi notices that Minato’s voice seems to carry traces of glee.

“Let’s get to work!” he declares jovially.

________________________

The weeks leading up to the third stage likely consist of the most strenuous and demanding training that Minato’s students have ever experienced.

Unlike previous iterations of the exams, none of the genin are aware of who their opponents will be for their first battle. Those matchups will be determined on the day of, so all of the jōnin-sensei must prepare their students for dozens of possibilities.

This makes Kakashi a very convenient stand-in opponent for sparring purposes, especially when granted permission to be as unpredictable as he pleases.

Minato has never seen Rin truly angry, but he believes that the demeanor she adopts when fighting a highly evasive Kakashi may be the closest it gets. She has yet to actually land any kind of attack on him when he’s adopting such an approach.

“This. Is. Impossible.” she hisses between each missed strike.

Kakashi has been dancing around her blows for the past five minutes now, not even bothering to get in a hit of his own.

“There’s a pattern to his movements,” Minato calls out. “If you can recognize it, you can disrupt his rhythm.”

Most of Rin’s opponents will be physically stronger than her, so she’ll have to apply finesse more often than not. And since Minato knows that speed is especially helpful for such a strategy, he’s been having Rin fight Kakashi in this manner in order to improve her own agility and reflexes.

While he’s carefully monitoring their spars to ensure that Rin doesn’t lose all of her patience, Minato otherwise believes that she’ll be well prepared for the tournament.

Obito still tends to grow flustered in the heat of the moment, and his defenses drop whenever he does this. Minato would very much like to shake him of this habit, so his solution is to have Kakashi launch surprise attacks on Obito while utilizing a variety of weapons and fighting styles.

“Sometimes, you need to account for disadvantages during a battle,” he calls out as Obito attempts to extricate his left foot from a hole that Kakashi had created in the earth. “It’s helpful to have contingencies and think creatively.”

When it comes to Tenzō, Minato just wants to ensure that he can hold his own against older and more experienced opponents. Kakashi, naturally, comes in handy here as well. And despite the fact that Tenzō loses to him time and time again, he actually appears to be enjoying his matches with Kakashi.

It takes Minato a few days before he realizes that there’s probably a reason for that.

Due to his background, Tenzō is likely used to being treated gingerly, like he was made out of glass. The discovery of his kekkei genkai can’t have helped matters as it made him seem like more of an anomaly. It’s probably been a while since he was treated like a normal child.

Of course, Kakashi couldn’t care less about all that. He fights Tenzō like any other opponent and regards him in the slightly dismissive manner that he employs for everyone.

Whatever the reason, Tenzō has no issue with Kakashi essentially kicking him around the training grounds.

“Come on now,” Kakashi chides as he knocks the smaller boy to the ground with a leg sweep. “You’re projecting your intentions. I knew the blow was coming before you even struck.”

“Tenzō, you’re shifting your shoulders before you throw out a punch. That’s how Kakashi can tell.”

Minato realizes that it may be a little unfair to pit his students against a centuries-old wolf spirit, but it’s likely the best form of practice that they’ll ever get.

On the day of the third stage, Minato and Kakashi set off for the venue alone as the competitors are required to arrive early at a separate entrance.

“Can I heckle the other genin?” Kakashi asks as they file in with the other spectators.

“There’s no rule against it.” Minato admits this even though he probably should’ve pretended otherwise. “However, it would likely be frowned upon. Bystanders generally restrict themselves to cheering.”

Kakashi appears highly unimpressed. “How boring,” he replies as they take their seat in the stands.

It turns out that Rin is the first of his students to go up, and she faces a gray-eyed boy with his hair tied back in a ponytail. Minato was initially concerned that Rin was going to lose the match after her opponent managed to slash her right arm at the start of the battle.

While she and the other genin were about even in terms of combat ability, the injury was clearing sapping her strength. Rin had eventually dropped to a knee, clutching her arm and seemingly on the verge of collapse. Her opponent, intending to capitalize on this, lunged forward to finish her off.

But Rin had struck without warning, landing a hit with the arm she had covertly healed while she pretended to stumble. The blow to the sternum was enough to knock the other genin unconscious and earn her the win.

Tenzō’s first battle lasts all of about five minutes. He squares off against a kunoichi in red who forfeits shortly after he uses an earth jutsu to drag her underground.

Obito seals his own victory with a clean takedown. His opponent had spent most of the fight running away from him, so the match was as good as finished once Obito got into range.

Once the second round begins, it’s clear that Rin is exhausted from her previous match and won’t be able to fight for much longer. However, she still manages to force her second opponent, a black-haired genin wearing square-shaped glasses, to a tie. The battle was a surprisingly aggressive one that left both participants with their fair share of cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

Next up is Tenzō’s battle against a genjutsu specialist. The match commences as a mental struggle as Tenzō tries to fend off the illusions attempting to take hold in his mind. He eventually proves to have the control necessary to dispel the visions, and he later emerges at the victor of the ensuing physical fight.

However, Minato’s youngest student sees an end to his winning streak in the third round. Tenzō, who is not as familiar with ranged weapons, is knocked out of the competition by a senbon laced with some kind of paralytic agent. Fortunately, the substance wears off quickly, and he’s able to walk on his own only five minutes later.

Meanwhile, Obito continues to have a strong showing throughout his second match. He squares off with a boy with dark glasses who’s tied his forehead protector back like a bandana. And as both competitors specialize in fire jutsus and taijutsu, the battle becomes one of the longest matches of the day. The two are evenly matched, but Obito finally cinches the win after his opponent proves incapable of defending himself against the Great Fireball Technique.

Obito moves onto the fourth round after his third opponent forfeits halfway through the fight on account of her sprained knee. But he eventually faces defeat at the hands of one of Chōza’s students, a genin by the name of Gai who had still seemed fresh after three rounds of fighting. Obito was just starting to show signs of fatigue then and so was taken out of the running with a powerful kick from the jumpsuit clad boy.

Eventually, one genin is left standing at the end of it all, and Gai is declared the tournament winner.

Once the matches conclude and the deliberation begins, Minato and Kakashi, along with the other spectators, descend from the stands to mingle amongst the competitors on the arena floor. The genin are milling about the area with varying levels of excitement, exchanging both compliments and words of commiseration with one another.

Standing off to the side, Minato watches as Gai makes a beeline for Kakashi. The exuberant boy is shouting something that he can’t quite make out from here, and Minato automatically readies himself to intervene.

However, Kakashi displays no reaction to the conspicuously noisy approach. Minato observes in quiet astonishment as he allows Gai to seize him by the shoulder and shake him vigorously. Granted, Kakashi had extracted himself from his grip after only a few seconds, but Minato is frankly amazed that the exchange occurred without any bloodshed.

Minato relaxes minutely as the crowd begins to silence at the sight of the Sandaime now standing upon the raised platform at the front. The Hokage briefly congratulates the assembled genin on their performance before reading out the names of those receiving promotions.

The crowd erupts into roars and shouts of celebration with the newly minted chūnin barely able to contain their excitement. Minato breaks out into a grin as he watches the elated expressions forming on his student’s faces.

While a promotion itself is a rather serious matter, it’s hard to deny that this is also a joyous occasion for the participants as they clasp hands, hold onto each other, and cheer.

Even Kakashi allows himself to be pulled in for a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi gains a new pastime, and it happens to be beating up small children.


	40. And incite the tree limbs to rustle and creak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everyone promoted, new plans are made.

Minato is in the process of outlining the mechanics of the Flying Thunder God technique to his four students when a hand suddenly claps down on his shoulder, nearly scaring the life out of him.

“I hear you’re to be married soon!” Sakumo Hatake’s voice is jovial and a bit too loud considering that he’s standing right next to Minato. “Congratulations,” he says, shaking Minato slightly.

“Thank you,” Minato responds courteously, even though he could’ve done without the minor shock. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see all four of his students pretending that they aren’t laughing at his reaction.

There are very few people who can actually catch Minato by surprise, but he’s not surprised to find that the White Fang is one of them.

“So she said yes, even after everything you told her,” Sakumo remarks, a look of amusement in his eyes.

Minato nods with a wry smile on his face. “Somehow, yes.”

But it turns out that Sakumo isn’t finished having a little fun at his expense. “Even after she saw the seals that you made” he prompts, an amused glint still present in his eye.

Minato grimaces slightly at the memory of her reaction. “Well, she was not particularly pleased about that,” he admits.

Kushina is usually enthusiastic about his fūinjutsu projects whether that be the youkai circle, the task of converting the seal into a functional tattoo, or his extensive research into the Flying Thunder God technique. Regardless, she was much less impressed by the seals he had crafted while severely inebriated.

Minato had evidently spent that particular weekend in an innovative state, developing several unique seals as he drank alongside Kakashi’s youkai friends. All of them turned out to be rather hazardous, so much so that Sakumo had elected to hold onto to those creations until Minato sobered up. But even after Minato’s mind had cleared, he had no issue with Sakumo hanging onto them for a little while longer.

Sakumo, however, had seen fit to return the seals to him several days ago, depositing the lockbox in front of the door to Minato’s apartment. Unfortunately for Minato, Kushina happened to be present that day. Her curiosity at seeing him gingerly prying upon the case had quickly shifted to disapproval once she found out what was inside.

Although, Minato fully understands why Kushina was so disgruntled by his experiments. One of his creations was an exceptionally destructive exploding tag, another would expel forth a veritable inferno when activated, and the last essentially had the capability to simulate a vacuum by sucking all of the air out of a room.

And on top of developing highly dangerous seals with limited practical applications, Minato had also neglected to implement any failsafes while in his drunken stupor. The end result is that those seals technically aren’t safe to store _anywhere_ because of how easily they can be set off.

“She thinks I’m an idiot,” Minato discloses, a part of him wondering why he’s bothering to tell everyone this, “but that’s apparently not a disqualifying factor for her.”

Sakumo’s response comes in the form of a hearty chuckle.

Kushina is admittedly in a better mood now, but that may have been because Menma stopped by yesterday afternoon.

Minato had crossed paths with the fox spirit as he made his way to Kushina’s place for dinner. While Menma was in the process of lugging an overly large basket of fresh fruit, he still managed to give him a cheerful wave as he passed by. Minato had smiled in return, righting the basket slightly before it could tip over from the weight.

His best guess is that Kushina decided to send Menma off with a gift after buying too much at the market again. That or she deliberately bought an excess with the sole purpose of giving it to the fox spirit.

Kushina has known about youkai for a while now, and yet her sense of delight has not diminished in the slightest. From what Minato has gathered, this is far from the usual reaction of humans who have learned about the existence of spirits. He personally remembers how quickly the wonder was replaced by an underlying sense of dread. Rin and Obito seem to have adjusted for the most part, and Sakumo, of course, behaves as if youkai have always been a part of his life.

That’s hardly the case for Kushina though as it seems like she’s always finding something else to grow excited over. Just last month, Kakashi had mentioned that fox spirits are capable of attaining a human form once they’ve grown in age and power.

He’d further explained that it could take another few years, but Kushina is already preparing for the day she can take Menma out in public. She intends to introduce the fox boy to her friends by claiming that he’s her distant cousin from a small farming village. Minato isn’t sure how advisable that plan is, but he’ll tend to that later.

It’s time to address other matters, anyway. Now that Sakumo has arrived, the five of them should really be getting on their way about now. They’ve been assigned a weeklong joint mission to provide security for a town festival in the southeastern region of the Land of Fire.

Considering that the group is made up of three jōnin and three chūnin, they’re actually a fair bit overqualified for this particular mission. However, it’s an arrangement that was made for the sole purpose of providing Minato’s students, particularly Tenzō, with more field experience.

While Tenzō was indeed promoted at the exams, he still lacked experience in comparison to the other chūnin. Tenzō would eventually join his own three-man squad, so it’s not strictly necessary for him to be brought up to speed. However, Minato believed it would be beneficial for Tenzō to get ahead while he still had the opportunity.

The Hokage had agreed with Minato on this, but he felt that it might be difficult for Minato to handle four students, even though one of them was already a jōnin. This was where Sakumo had come in. He’d offered to accompany Team Minato on their out-of-village assignments so that there would be an additional pair of experienced eyes watching over his students.

Furthermore, adding an extra number meant that they would be eligible to take on assignments that they wouldn’t have been able to before. Minato was undeniably grateful for the opportunity, especially now that Kakashi has progressed to giving Tenzō all sorts of questionable instruction during their training sessions.

“You need more force in your strikes,” Kakashi had declared one afternoon. “How about this?” he suggested, his tone implying that he was utterly serious. “Just stab me.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Minato ordered, electing to put an end to that matter before things could get out of hand.

That kind of behavior may be fine when it’s just Rin and Obito, but Tenzō is supposed to think that Kakashi is still human. Inviting your teammates to maim you for demonstration purposes is decidedly not normal.

Kakashi has a tendency to create his own fun when bored, so these new missions should be able to stave off those habits for the time being. Their first mission together as a unit had gone well enough anyway.

The extremely wealthy family they were assigned to guard had made it safely through the country with the six of them handily fending off all of the potential assassins and thieves they encountered along the way. They were all grouped together for that particular assignment, disguising themselves as servants to make it appear as though the family was unguarded.

In contrast, their present assignment as security detail requires them to both remain in uniform and to split up. The festival itself doesn’t begin for another two days, so they’re surveying the village and its surrounding area in order to determine an effective system of patrols. The six of them have split into two teams to cover more ground. Minato, Rin, and Kakashi are one group while Sakumo, Obito, and Tenzō make up the other.

“Hold on,” Minato speaks up as something in the valley below catches his eye. There’s something about that cluster of trees that seems odd to him. The movement of the swaying trees feels unnatural, and there’s a spot of color that doesn’t belong.

He steps off the path and into the grassy field to investigate. As he does so, Minato hears Kakashi make a sound of frustration before following him down.

“There’s a youkai there, right?” Rin guesses, trailing after them and looking a little resigned at being left out of the loop.

Upon drawer closer, Minato finds that his instincts were in fact correct.

There’s a spirit tangled in the brambles at the base of the tree, a youkai in dark robes with a face that resembles a knot of wood. It doesn’t exactly have an eye but rather a large hole that resembles one. Its mouth is likewise a single slash on the surface of its head.

The spirit regards him with a curious look as Minato approaches but remains still as he carefully extricates its robes from the sharp thorns.

Once unfettered, the youkai steps back and gives Minato a polite bow.

“It would have been quite difficult for me to free myself on my own,” the youkai declares in a low wavering voice that wouldn't have been out of place on an old man. “In thanks for your aid-”

“No,” Kakashi answers emphatically, cutting the other spirit off. “No favor. He doesn’t want anything in return. We will be leaving now." He declares with a sense of finality as he gestures for Minato and Rin to leave.

The spirit frowns, peering at Kakashi with its single eye. “Have we met?”

“No,” Kakashi answers flatly before walking off.

While neither Rin nor Minato knows what any of this is about, they follow Kakashi nevertheless. It’s generally advisable to heed his instruction when youkai are involved.

“Care to explain what that was all about?” Minato asks once they’re back on the path.

Kakashi’s lazy attitude usually doesn’t waver unless they’re dealing with a potentially dangerous or unpleasant youkai. But this one hadn’t seemed malicious at all. In fact, the spirit actually came across as cordial given how grateful it was for Minato’s help.

“Despite its intentions, that particular youkai can sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth,” Kakashi informs them. “It gives thanks by making those that help it grow younger in age.”

Minato blinks in bewilderment. “How much younger?” he asks. He’s never heard of a spirit possessing an ability like that.

“You see, that depends,” Kakashi explains. “Worst case scenario, you end up looking as young as Rin and lose your memories as well.”

“Alright,” Minato manages to say. “Glad we avoided it.”

Part of him would like to inquire how exactly Kakashi came about this piece of information, but experience has told him that it would only be a waste of breath to ask him. Either way, that kind of gift would undoubtedly be a problem if you happened to be on the younger side. Aging in reverse would’ve very quickly thrown a wrench into their mission.

At least they didn’t have to deal with that added hassle.

Ever since the Chūnin Exams, circumstances seemed to have calmed down somewhat. All of Minato’s students had received their promotions, so they’re now able to take their time gaining field experience. Tenzō is also meshing well with his teammates and overall appears to be in good spirits.

Furthermore, Jiraiya informed Minato that Tsunade had finally agreed to return to Konoha. It will be a little while before Tenzō can be apprenticed to her though. They won’t be heading back to the village right away, and Tsunade will almost certainly want to take some time to readjust first. The last thing the Hokage wants is to toss a student at her the second she steps foot in Konoha, and Minato doesn’t mind serving as Tenzō’s sensei in the meantime.

All in all, things are going rather smoothly.

________________________

Kakashi has several complaints, and most of them stem from the Flying Thunder God technique.

From what he’s gathered, the jutsu grants its user the ability to teleport to a series of targets that have been marked by a specific seal. It’s admittedly impressive that Minato had even figured out the necessary seals for it. However, the technique is far from perfect.

While Minato is able to effectively teleport, his accuracy is still suspect. Sometimes he rematerializes a few inches to a foot away from his intended target. Sometimes he reappears _inside_ of other things such as large stones or tree trunks. And whenever that happens, it falls upon his students to dislodge him from whatever solid object he’s stuck in. 

It's safe to say that none of the members of Team Minato could have predicted that this would be the outcome when Rin asked Minato if he required any help on his project.

“I’ve got the hatchet!” Obito shouts as he rushes forward, waving the tool in hand.

Rin gently takes the tool from the overexcited Uchiha before he can injure himself or anybody else. “We might need a chisel,” she notes, studying the scene with an astute gaze. “His foot is really stuck in the boulder this time.”

While the two of them have simply accepted this peculiar new routine, Tenzō still doesn’t seem to know what to make of this.

As Rin and Obito help Minato pry his left foot out of the stone, Kakashi hears Tenzō mutter to himself, “Is this a normal thing?”

It isn’t, of course, but it would be difficult to tell just from looking at Minato seeing as he appears utterly unembarrassed by the entire situation. In fact, it’s almost as if he’s lost the capacity to feel shame.

Minato adding his own antics to the mix has made this all a tremendous inconvenience.

However, Kakashi suspects that he’s secretly enjoying this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minato may have gotten to the point where he’s done caring. He’s not trying to purposefully inconvenience his students, but he does enjoy being able to pay back some of the grief that they inflicted on him. 
> 
> Also, we see a cameo appearance of the Days Eater!


	41. Then a sudden chill carried by the wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Tenzō partner up for their latest assignment.

“What’s that over there?”

Tenzō points and Kakashi follows his line of sight over to a cluster of bushes nestled under a nearby tree.

Even as the other boy peers attentively in the direction of the rustling shrub, Kakashi finds himself resisting the urge to yawn.

“Just an animal,” he declares, utterly unconcerned. It’s a hare, to be specific, and it’s not even one that's big enough to be worth eating. A far cry from the quarry that the two of them are lying in wait for.

Minato had initially introduced this mission as an unconventional one, but Kakashi honestly finds this whole affair to be more on the tedious side. Granted, it’s likely that the unusualness of the assignment is primarily due to its client. The village of Kiri is actually the one who’s put forth this mission, and this apparently doesn’t happen very often.

Kakashi assumes that shinobi villages are typically too proud to request or accept aid from other nations. Nevertheless, Kiri had bucked tradition by reaching out to Konoha and asking if they would aid in apprehending several deserters of theirs.

Two teams of shinobi, together a total of six people, had defected from Kiri, slipping away before anyone even noticed anything was amiss. They were already on separate missions outside of the village, so the group had simply abandoned their assignments halfway through. Because of this, it’d taken several days before the higher-ups realized that six of their shinobi had bolted.

Kiri had immediately dispatched retrieval units to round up the fugitives. But they’d already lost valuable time, and all but one succeeded in eluding their clutches. However, the recaptured shinobi, no doubt hoping to garner leniency, wasted no time in revealing the group’s plans. Apparently, they had intended to sneak into the Land of Fire in hopes that Kiri wouldn’t risk following them there.

That was admittedly a valid line of reasoning. Hiding in a rival nation would certainly complicate matters by making it near impossible for Kiri to continue their search without drawing Konoha’s ire.

And yet the renegades had still underestimated exactly how crafty their former village could be. Rather than risk sparking an international incident, Kiri had simply informed Konoha of the missing nin lurking within their borders and petitioned the Hokage to send out a team to detain them.

Despite the rocky history that seemed to exist between all hidden villages, the Sandaime had seen few reasons to refuse this request. He was hardly inclined to welcome any intruding shinobi, especially those that may or may not be responsible for the trouble currently afflicting the civilians living in the countryside.

Nor is the mission itself is a particularly dangerous or difficult one. The missing nin are fairly low ranking shinobi, the group now consisting of only four chūnin and one jōnin. And to make circumstances even simpler, Kiri has even provided Konoha with the discretion to return them either dead or alive.

Accordingly, the Hokage had seen fit to allocate this mission to the expanded Team Minato. Their numbers should be sufficient to handle the Kiri nin, and the assignment would also give Rin, Obito, and Tenzō the opportunity to engage with enemy shinobi.

The six of them had split up into three groups in order to track down the deserters, one jōnin and one chūnin making up each pair. They’ve been rotating the matchups each day so that everyone has the chance to work with different partners.

Normally, team members would be grouped together with a little more care and thought, but none of them are very concerned about being outmatched by the missing nin. The most formidable shinobi at large was the jōnin, and he’d met a swift end courtesy of the perfected Flying Thunder God technique.

Minato was finally able to hammer out the specifics of the jutsu last month, and in Kakashi’s opinion, this was long overdue. The last time Minato had gotten himself trapped in something, the four of them had spent half a day trying to extricate him from a fence post.

But despite the effort and the irritation that the jutsu brought on, it’s difficult to deny its effectiveness. The technique is capable of cutting down highly skilled opponents, and Kakashi is fairly certain that Minato and Rin will succeed in detaining whichever missing nin they’re tracking down today.

Even if they aren’t, the mission is still unlikely to last for much longer. Thanks to a series of traps and snares that Sakumo and Obito had fashioned a few days ago, there are currently only three Kiri nin unaccounted for. While the defectors’ chances were always slim, they’re now outnumbered two to one. Their capture is simply a foregone conclusion at this point.

However, it seems as though Tenzō still requires further convincing as he’s currently fretting over the likelihood of accurately determining the location of a single shinobi hidden in the wilderness. But what Tenzō doesn’t realize is that Kakashi already knows exactly where this missing nin is. He’s approximately ten miles away, heading right for the riverbank that Kakashi had purposefully stationed themselves directly in front of.

In order to justify this insight to Tenzō, Kakashi had made up some nonsense about calculating the most likely point at which the Kiri nin would cross the stream. The other boy had readily accepted his story, but it’s done little to put him at ease.

“Just keeping waiting,” Kakashi instructs. “There aren’t many places for that missing nin to go with all six of us searching the woods. We did block off the path by the mountains too. And if we’re wrong, we can always try again.”

For a second it looks as though Tenzō is going to protest, but he closes his mouth and merely resettles himself in his hiding spot behind the tree branch.

“So if the Kiri nin does come this way, what’s the plan?” Tenzō asks his voice quiet as he resumes his intent study of the vicinity.

“I’ll be sure to immobilize him first,” Kakashi explains. He pauses for a moment, listening to the sounds echoing throughout the forest before continuing. “Follow my lead, but stay out of range. He’ll probably try to fight back in some way.”

Best to keep Tenzō isolated from any potential attacks. At this point, injuries would be far more trouble than they’re worth.

Kakashi gestures towards the area in front of the riverbank. “If he tries to escape, he’ll likely attempt to go back the way he came. So be prepared to use either an earth or water jutsu to cut him off.”

Tenzō nods at that, his face hardening in determination.

Ten minutes later, Kakashi hears the telltale sound of the missing nin’s footsteps just before he enters his field of view. The Kiri nin is making quick ground and seems to be uninjured, but he looks ragged and anxious all the same. Overall, the shinobi is rather unimpressive in appearance, but that tends to be the case with most humans anyway.

Kakashi does find it curious that none of the deserters have decided to band together in order to draw strength from numbers. The circumstances could’ve been much more favorable for them in that regard, but it seems that there wasn’t a strong sense of loyalty between these missing nin.

No matter, it makes the task significantly easier for them.

“Get ready,” Kakashi whispers.

The missing nin has crossed the stream and is around ten feet away from them when Kakashi uses an earth jutsu to halt him in his tracks. The ground underneath the man surges upwards, trapping him up to his waist. Kakashi and Tenzō hop down from their hiding spot in the treetops, and he watches as the defector’s shocked look quickly bleeds away to rage.

“Really?” the Kiri nin spits at them in frustration, trying fruitlessly to free himself from the earthen prison. “Kids?”

The man's arms are free, but he can do little more than swipe ineffectually at Kakashi who’s standing well out of his reach.

“They not only sent brats after me but ones from Konoha?” he snarls, now noticing the symbol on their forehead protectors.

“What can I say?” Kakashi replies, his tone mild. “Your home village clearly decided that you weren’t worth their time.”

The Kiri nin seethes, and Kakashi smiles at him from behind the mask, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to rile someone else up.

“Everyone else is getting picked off,” Kakashi informs him, deciding that honesty would be the quickest way to get under the missing nin’s skin. Because out of the five Kiri nin they were assigned to track down, they’ve yet to capture any of them alive.

It’s funny how these things work out

“The others weren’t interested in coming quietly. It’s all up to you though.” Kakashi points out, albeit in a highly condescending manner.

“Like you brats are actually going to kill me,” the man scoffs, and his expression one of utmost contempt.

Kakashi simply smiles at him again, but it’s a look that’s far more suitable for a beast. He moves closer, the expression on his face unchanging.

“I wouldn’t go making assumptions if I were you.”

At this, the Kiri nin’s eyes widen. His entire body stills, and the look on his own face suggests that there might be a tiny part of his brain that realizes that Kakashi is far from an ordinary child, that there’s something _more_ to him.

Perhaps he’s not as dense as he seems.

What the missing nin does next actually catches Kakashi by surprise. It happened in an instant, the man’s fear transforming into outright panic in under a second. Still, Kakashi hadn’t expected this one to act so foolishly.

The Kiri nin attacks out of nowhere, striking out with a kunai that he must’ve had hidden up his sleeve. The blade pierces Kakashi’s left eye, fracturing his eye socket and cracking his skull. Blood runs down his face as his head whips back from the force of the blow.

At least that would’ve been the case if Kakashi possessed a genuine human body. Naturally, all signs of injury have vanished only seconds later. And by then, Kakashi is already in the process of breaking the Kiri’s nin’s neck.

“Well, that’s this one taken care of,” Kakashi remarks. He releases the earth jutsu, and the missing nin’s body tumbles to the ground unceremoniously. “The rest are probably-”

It’s at this moment he remembers that Tenzō is still there, Tenzō who has surely witnessed the entirety of this exchange. Kakashi turns slowly, his eyes landing on his teammate still standing there off to the side.

“What…?” is all Tenzō can say. He looks to be frozen in place, his face pale from shock.

Kakashi remains silent, waiting to see what Tenzō will do next and sighing internally as he does so. Kakashi will have to provide him with some kind of excuse, but what he discloses will ultimately depend on Tenzō’s reaction.

“You know what?” Tenzō finally speaks up. He’s shaking his head, and an odd expression crosses over his face, one that might be a combination of disbelief, bewilderment, and hysterics.

It almost looks as though he’s smiling underneath all the confusion.

“Forget it. I don’t want to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tenzō is guessing that Minato’s overall demeanor likely results from whatever’s up from Kakashi. For this reason, he’s choosing to stay out of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Throughout this story, I’ll be trying to pull as much lore from both Naruto and Natsume’s Book of Friends as possible. But since I’m fusing two universes together, I'll have to make up my own rules at times. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


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